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THF f OF 



A Ship Yacht of the Dutch East India Company. 



THE HISTORY OF 
YACHTING 



1600-1815 



By 
ARTHUR H. CLARR 



Published under authority and by direction of 
The New York Yacht Club 



G. P. Putnam's Sons 

Meiv York and London 
MCMIIII 



LIBRARY of C0NGf?E:53 
Two Cuyiea iicceiveu 

NOV 19 I9U4 

Copyrigfic tmj 
CLASS fl XXc. Noi 

/capY a. 



Copyright, 1904 

BY 

ARTHUR H. CLARK 



Ube ■RnlchecbocScc pcesB, Hew Botft 



Dedicated to 
THE NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 

BY PERMISSION, AND 

IN TOKEN OF A MEMBERSHIP OF 

THIRTY-NINE YEARS 



INTRODUCTION 

AT first sight it seems singular that no history of 
the origin and early development of yachts 
and yachting has ever been written. A little re- 
flection, however, will convince one of the amount 
of labor necessarily involved in such an undertak- 
ing. And had I been able to foresee the difficul- 
ties before me, it is doubtful whether this task 
would have been begun. But once undertaken, it 
became most interesting ; and as the libraries, mu- 
seums, and old print-shops of Holland, Great Brit- 
ain, and the United States, little by little, yielded 
their treasures, forming links here and there — with 
many fathoms of space between — it became a matter 
of unbounded pleasure to discover these old links 
— rusty though they were — and forge them into 
a chain as complete as historical chains usually 
are. 

The researches, of which this book is a portion 
of the harvest, were begun many years ago, be- 
fore any indication of the present popular inter- 
est in yachting had been felt. My labors, I may 
add, have been two-fold : first, to collect all data 
relating to the subject ; also, so far as possible, the 
contemporary portraits of the yachts to which 
the data refer. Material has frequently been found 
in unexpected places ; while, on the other hand, 



vi INTRODUCTION 

fields rich in promise, have often proved barren 
and unproductive. 

It would require too large an amount of space 
even to mention the names of all the persons to 
whom I feel indebted during the long period that 
this work has been in progress. I can only say 
here that I am extremely grateful for their valuable 
assistance and kind encouragement. 

This book is largely a narrative of facts, which, 
I venture to believe, are not generally known to 
yachtsmen. At all events, no author, so far as I 
am aware, has ever recorded them. It has been my 
desire, then, to state each fact in a clear and closely 
related manner, and, so far as practicable, to give 
the original authorities from which these facts are 
derived, without notes or appendix. This I con- 
ceive to be the most acceptable form in which to 
present the book. 

Whatever merit the result of my labors may pos- 
sess will probably be found in the desire of the 
reader to know something more of the origin and 
development of a noble sport, and not so much 
perhaps in what I have succeeded in doing, as in 
what I have tried to do. 

A. H. C. 

Cutter Yacht Minerva, 
New York Harbor, July 12th, 1904. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION V 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi 

CHAPTER I 

MEDIEVAL PLEASURE-CRAFT AND EARLY DUTCH YACHTS I 

Pleasure-craft of antiquity — Purple sails of royalty — Galley of 
Tyre — Cleopatra — Galley race described by Virgil — Yachting be- 
gan with the rise of the Dutch Republic — Victories of Hein, 
Von Tromp, and Ruyter^ — Yachts belonging to the Burgomasters of 
Amsterdam, and Maurice of Nassau, younger son of William the 
Silent — Review of yachts in honor of Queen Mary of France — State 
yachts — Admiralty yachts — Dutch East India Company's yachts — 
Yacht parades — Mock battles — Peter the Great — Evolution of the 
sloop — The Peruvian balsa — First embodiment of the centre- 
board — Distant voyages and exploits of armed Dutch yachts. 

CHAPTER II 

HOLLAND AND NEW NETHERLAND 32 

Henry Hudson and the yacht Half Moon — Hudson arrives at 
Sandy Hook and explores the North River — Voyage of Captain 
Adriaen Block, 1613 — He loses the Tiger and builds the yacht 
Onrust, at Manhattan^Explores the Sound and discovers Block 
Island — Yachts of the Dutch West India Company — Yachts 
built and repaired in New Netherland — Lines of the Sparrow 
Hawk, wrecked on Cape Cod about 1620 and exhumed in 1863. 

CHAPTER III 

KING CHARLES II. RETURNS TO ENGLAND . . -44 

Prince Henry's pleasure ship Disdain, 1604 — Shipbuilding, an 
" art or mystery " — Famous ships of this period — Origin of the 
frigate — Naval wars — Embarkation of Charles II., 1660, in a yacht 
owned by the Prince of Orange — Thirteen yachts in the cortege — 
The King re-embarks and lands in England — The Restoration. 



viii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER IV 

PAGE 

EARLY ENGLISH YACHTS ....... 56 

Pepys's Diary and Naval History — Evelyn's Diary — The yacht 
Mary — First use of the yacht in word English literature — The 
King's yacht Catherine — Use of lead for ballast — Holland duck 
for sails — The Duke of York's yacht Anne — The Dutch yacht 
Bezan — Progress in ship building — Calculating a ship's displace- 
ment — The King's interest in maritime affairs — Yacht race be- 
tween the King and the Duke of York — The Besano, Jamie, 
Charles, and Experiment — The Royal Society and Sir William 
Petty's inventions — Catamarans— The " versatile keel " — Propell- 
ing power in a ship, and copying machines — Petty's epitaph.. 

CHAPTER V 

CHARLES THE SECOND 9 1 

The Henrietta — Lead sheathing — Stowage of ballast — The Char- 
lotte — Ruyter's victory at Chatham — The Fan/an — Panther — 
Folly — Monmouth — Merlin — The London docks — Plague and fire 
— Rebuilding of London — The yacht Lenox — The Solalis — The 
Kitchin and other royal yachts — Striking topsails to the colors — 
The yacht Industry's voyage to Maryland, the first English yacht 
to cross the Atlantic — The King's last yachting cruise — His dying 
words. 

CHAPTER VI 

WILLIAM AND MARY . . . . . . . I16 

Landing of King William at Torbay — The yacht Princess Mary 
— Her remarkable longevity — The William atid Mary — The 
Medina — Jacobite plots and yachts — Peter the Great, in Holland 
and England — The Little Crandsire — Generous action of Louis 
XIV. 

CHAPTER VII 

GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES . . -131 

New York in 1679 — The earliest American schooner — American 
origin of the term — The first American lighthouse — New York 
in 1717 — The yacht Fancy — New York in 1746 — The American 
lumber trade restricted to sloops— Influence of this rule upon ship 
building — Captain Schank's sliding keel — American independence 



CONTENTS ix 

PAGE 

— First appearance of the American flag in the Orient — Stephen 
Girard — The Enterprise — American sloop — Voyage to China and 
back — Captain Shackford crosses the Atlantic alone — First Ameri- 
can vessel to circumnavigate the globe — Discovery of the Columbia 
River — Voyage of the sloop Union round the world — North River 
sloops — The leeboard — First American yacht, the Jefferson — 
Evolution of the centre-board — Centre-board patent of 1811 
— Baltimore clippers — Privateers — Frigates — The Constitution 
— Exploits of the American Navy — Life on the ocean. 

CHAPTER VIII 

YACHTING UNDER THE FOUR GEORGES . . . . 161 

The Bolton — Princess Augusta — First Sailing Match on the 
Thames — The cutter rig — The Swift and Nimble — The ketch 
and lugger rigs of France — Purchase of American schooners for 
the British Navy — The Chebucco boats — Thames rowing races — 
The Lord Mayor's aquatic procession to Westminster — The yacht 
Catherine — Cork Harbor Water Club — Its complete sailing orders. 

CHAPTER IX 

THE CUMBERLAND YACHT FLEET ..... 189 

Tilt Boats — The yachts Royal Charlotte, Dorset, and Plytnouth— 
The Mandarin house boat — Lord Ferrer's yacht — First regatta 
(so-called) in England — The father of yacht racing, the Duke of 
Cumberland, 1775 — First racing cup won by the Aurora — Foun- 
dation of the " Cumberland Fleet," 1775 — Review of this fleet in 
1778 — The King's Fisher, Hawke, Cumberland, Caroline, and 
Eagle — Recovery of the Cumberland cup from a San Francisco 
pawnbroker's shop — The yacht Lively visits America and her 
owner entertains George Washington — Schank's sliding keels 
adopted by the British Admiralty. 

CHAPTER X 
THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY AND BRITISH NAVY . 2o6 

The English East India Company — Its ships and discipline — 
Profits — Writer-ships — Tyepans — Exploits of the Indiamen — 
Capture of the Dutch Oriental fleet, 1795 — St. Helena — Table Bay 
— Leisurely voyages, good fare, and pleasant episodes — Size and 
equipment of the East India ships — Development of the Royal 
Navy — British frigates — Guns and carronades — Nelson's flagship 
— Exploits of the British Navy. 



X CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XI 

PAGE 

EARLIEST YACHT CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN . . . 219 

The Vanxhall annual cup races — The Prince of Wales, Nancy, 
Cumberland, Mermaid, Vixen, and other winning yachts — Bristol 
Sailing Society cup race of 1796; won by the Antelope — State 
Lottery cup, 1S07 ; won by the Mercury — The Bellissima — The 
last Vauxhall cup, 1810 — Cumberland Subscription cups, 1812 — 
The Mercury champion of the Thames — Cruising in the Lower 
Thames — The yacht Royal Sovereign — Effort to revive the Water 
Club of Cork — William Fife, Clyde yacht builder — The yacht 
Leopard built by Lynn Ratsey, of Cowes — Thomas Wliite, of 
Cowes — Earl Warwick, king of Wight — First meeting of the 
Yacht Club, 1815 — Cowes Castle — Its priceless archives — 
Conclusion. 



245 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



in the 



A Ship Yacht of the Dutch East India Company 

Frontispiece 

Admiral Pieter Hein. Capturing the Spanish Silver 
Fleet, 1628 

A Dutch Man-of-War. 1630 

The Amelia, Flagship of Admiral Tromp. 1639 

Admiral Marten Tromp .... 

Admiral Michiel Ruyter .... 

A Dutch East Indiaman. 1630 . 

A Dutch Man-of-War. 1670 

Yacht Owned by the Burgomasters of Amsterdam 
Year 1600 . . . 

The Dutch Fleet under Command of Admiral Ruyter, 
and the English Fleet under Command of the Duke 
of Albemarle and Prince Rupert. June 14, 1666 

Yacht Owned by Maurice of Nassau. 1625 . 

Review of Yachts, in Honor of Queen Mary of France, 
at Amsterdam. 1638 .... 

Review of Amsterdam Yachts. 17 17 . 

The Amsterdam Yachts Enacting a Battle Scene on the 
Occasion of the Visit of Peter the Great. 1697 

A Damlooper 

A Sloepe. 1675 



8 


1/ 


9 


u^ 


10 


y^ 


10 


iX 


10 


^-- 


12 


^^ 


12 


u-^ 



14 



16 


W 


18 


\^ 


20 


l^ 


22 


1^ 


22 


^/^ 


23 


y^ 


24 


\^' 



xu 



ILL USTRA TIONS 



^ 



PAGE 

A Balza 26 '' 

A Gouvernante Jaght, or Government Yacht . .28 

An Amsterdam Yacht. 1630 30 : 

A Yacht of the Dutch East India Company. 1650 . 32 / 

A Yacht of the Dutch East India Company. 1630 . 34 - 

A Yacht of the Dutch East India Company. 1630 . 36 

A Private Yacht. 1650 . . . . . .38 

A Private Yacht. 1650 . . . . . .40 

A Reiziger Jaght, or Passenger Yacht . . . .42 

Draft of the Pilgrim Ship Sparrow Hawk ... 43 

A Admiraliteit Jaght, or Admiralty Yacht ... 44 

Tht Royal Prince. Built r6io ..... 46 

The Sovereign of ike Seas. Built 1637 .... 48 

A Staaten Jaght, or State Yacht 50 

An Admiralty's Yacht. 1650 . . . . .52 

The Fleet of Yachts Escorting King Charles II. at 

Rotterdam. 1660 . . . . . . . 54 / 

Yacht with the Arms of England on her Stern, Believed 
to be the Mary, Presented to King Charles II. by the 
Dutch. 1660 . . . . . . . . 60 I 

A Boeyer . . . . . . . . . 62 i^ 

Admiral Ruyter Destroying the English Fleet at Chat- 
ham. 1667 . . . . . . . .94 

The Royal Charles . . . . . . -95 

An English Man-of-War. 1670 . . . . .98 

Two Royal Yachts in the Reign of King Charles II. . no 



ILL USTRA TIONS 



King Charles II. . 

The Princess Mary ..... 

Landing of Queen Mary in England. 1689 . 

A British Government Yacht. New York, 1717 

Boston Light. 1717 . 

The Yacht Fancy, Owned by Colonel Lewis Morris, 
New York, 1717 . 

Early American Sloops. 1746 

Redrawn from an old print by William Lambert Barnard. 

Boat with Sliding Keel. 1774 

The .^amV/ of Georgetown. 1793 

The Columbia and Washington. 1787 . 

Medal Struck in Honor of the Columbia and Washington. 
1787 .... 

The Union. Nootka Sound, 1795 

The David Porter . 

The Dolphin .... 

A Baltimore Clipper. 181 2 . 

The Constitution . 

A Virginia Privateer. i8r2-i5 

A Chesapeake Pilot Boat. i8r2 

The Princess Augusta. Built r7 10. Rebuilt 1770 

A Dutch Cutter and Schooner. 1750 . 

An English Sloop. 1750 ..... 

An English Packet Sloop and Dutch Privateer, Good 
Expectation. 1783. 



XUl 

PAGE 
114' 

116 > 

118 - 

1341/ 

13s : 

136 "^ 

137 V 

139 '' 

140 \ 

142 •■ 

143 ' 
144 
148 
ISO 
152 
154 
iSS 
155 
162 
164 
166 

168 



XIV 



ILL USTRA TIONS 



Lines of the Cutter Busy. 1778 .... 

An English Sloop. 1790 

1\^t Nimble. 1781 

An English Revenue Cutter Chasing a Smuggler. 1785 

An English Cutter. 1785 

The Building of the Cutter. 1785 

An English Cutter. 1806 

An English Sloop. 1806 ..... 

Barge of the Lord Mayor of London 

The Fleet of the Water Club of Cork. 1738 

A Gravesend Tilt-Boat. 1753 .... 

Queen Charlotte Embarking at Cuxhaven. 1761 . 

The Royal Charlotte 

The Mandarine Yacht. 1753 .... 
Arrival of Queen Charlotte at Harwich 

A Royal Yacht. 1775 ~ 

Review of the Cumberland Fleet off Sheerness. 1778 
The Cumberland ....... 

The Cumberland. 1780 

Lines of the Cumberland . . . . . 

Pleasure Boats Sailing for the Duke of Cumberland': 
Cup 



Racing Card of Vauxhall Garden Sailing-Match. 1790 

Boat with Three Sliding Keels. 1778 . 

The Lady Nelson ....... 



168 ^ 


169 r 


170 f^ 


172 \^ 


174 ■/ 


174^' 


176 >^' 


176 


178 


180 ' 


192 1 


192 


193 ' 


194 


194 


196 


198 


200 ' 


200 ^ 



201 Y 

202 , 
202 Y 
203 
204 



ILLUSTRATIONS xv 



PAGE 



Model oi the Cumder/and IF. ..... 205 v"' 

An East Indiaman. 1788 ...... 212 • 

Nelson's Flagships ....... 218 '■'''"" 

Invitation Card of the Cumberland Fleet . . . 2201 

The Vauxhall Sailing-Match. 1800 .... 224' 

The King's I^is/ier. 1776 . . . . . . 228' 

Commodore Taylor ....... 230 ■ 

Cups Won by Commodore Taylor's Yachts King's Fisher 

and Cumberland . . . . . . . 230 >^ 

His Majesty's Yacht Royal Sovereign, Launched in the 

Year 1804. ........ 232*^ 

The Royal Sovereign ....... 234 '''^ 

The Cutter Z^^a;'-(/. 1807 236' 

Cowes Castle. 1801 242 ' 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 



CHAPTER I 

MEDIEVAL PLEASURE-CRAFT AND EARLY 
DUTCH YACHTS 

Pleasure-craft of antiquity — Purple sails of royalty — Galley of Tyre — 
Cleopatra — Galley race described by Virgil — Yachting began with the 
rise of the Dutch Republic — Victories of Hein, Von Tromp, and 
Ruyter — Yachts belonging to the Burgomasters of Amsterdam, and 
Maurice of Nassau, younger son of William the Silent — Review of 
yachts in honor of Queen Mary of France — State yachts — Admiralty 
yachts — Dutch East India Company's yachts — Yacht parades — Mock 
battles — Peter the Great — Evolution of the sloop — The Peruvian 
balsa — First embodiment of the centre-board — Distant voyages and 
exploits of armed Dutch yachts. 

PLEASURE-CRAFT, or what we now know as 
yachts, have existed among maritime nations 
from the most remote period ; but the records of 
these gorgeous vessels of antiquity have perished, 
except in fragments to be found scattered here and 
there among the writings of ancient authors. 

In ancient times it was customary for vessels to 
carry sails of various colors, to denote their different 
characters. The sails of royal vessels were wholly 
purple, and were used by members of royal house- 
holds only ; no other vessels were permitted to 
carry them. 



2 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Cleopatra's galley at the battle of Actium ; the 
magnificent pleasure-vessels his and Thalamegus, 
built by Ptolemy Philopator (222 b. c.) ; the royal 
vessel with " a golden beak, and fence of golden 
shields to protect the rowers on their benches," 
presented to Athelstane by the King of Norway 
(a. d. 925) ; the galley presented to Hardicanute 
by Earl Godwin, " sumptuously gilt and rowed by 
eighty men, each of whom wore on his arm a brace- 
let of gold weighing sixteen ounces" (a. d. 1040) ; 
the Queens Hall, which carried Phileppa, niece of 
King Henry IV. and Queen of Norway, Denmark, 
and Sweden, to join her husband in Denmark, 
all — together with many other royal vessels that 
might be mentioned — carried purple sails. 

This custom continued until the beginning of the 
fifteenth century, one of the last instances recorded 
being that of the King's Chamber, on board of 
•which King Henry V. sailed from England to 
France. This vessel carried a sail of purple silk, 
upon which was embroidered in gold the arms of 
England and France. 

By means of purple sails we are enabled to trace 
and establish the antiquity of vessels used exclu- 
sively by royalty, or what would, at the present 
time, be known as royal yachts. 

A vivid picture — herewith abridged — of Tyre, 
the " golden city" and " mother of crafts," is given 
in Ezekiel chapter XXVH., where the prophet 
speaks of Tyre as " a merchant of the people for 
many isles. . . . They have made all thy ship 
boards of fir trees of Senir : they have taken cedars 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 3 

from Lebanon to make masts for thee. Of the oaks 
of Bashan have they made thine oars . , . 
have made thy benches of ivory. . . . Fine 
Hnen with broidered work from Egypt was that 
which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail ; blue and 
purple from the isles of Elishah was that which 
covered thee . . . thy pilots, thy caulkers, 
and all thy men of war that are in thee, . . . 
shall fall into the m.idst of the seas in the day of 
thy ruin." 

This justly celebrated chapter is one of the most 
ancient records of shipping bequeathed to us, and 
bears testimony to the great antiquity of pleasure- 
craft ; for, as we have seen, among the ancients 
purple sails were carried only on vessels used by 
royalty, and " benches of ivory " certainly indicate 
a vessel equipped with royal luxury. 

One of the most ancient pleasure-craft, and the 
most beautiful and renowned of which any defi- 
nite description has been preserved, was the royal 
barge, or galley, of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, 
thirty years before the Christian era, which is thus 
described by Shakespeare : 

" The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne 
Burned on the water ; the poop was beaten gold. 
Purple the sails and so perfumed, that 
The winds were lovesick with them ; the oars were silver, 
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke 
And made the water which they beat to flow faster, 
As amorous of their strokes." 

To rely upon this description by the poet might 
be unwise, were it not sustained by the historian ; 



4 THE HISTOR Y OF YA CHTING 

accordingly, we are indebted to Plutarch for the 
following account of this expedition : 

" Cleopatra, in her conduct with respect to the 
contending parties, endeavored to trim between 
both ; for though she had assisted Dolabella, yet 
Serapion, her lieutenant in Cyprus, fought for Cas- 
sius ; and after the defeat of him and Brutus, she, 
fearing the resentments of conquerors, resolved in 
person to meet Anthony, and, conscious of her own 
charms, try how efficacious her wit and beauty 
would be in her cause, he having summoned her to 
render an account of her behavior. 

" Crossing the Mediterranean to Cilicia, where 
Anthony then was, she came up the River Cydnus 
in a vessel, the stern whereof was gold, the sails of 
purple silk, and the oars of silver, which gently 
kept time to the sound of music. 

" She placed herself under a rich canopy of cloth- 
of-gold, habited like Venus rising out of the sea, 
with beautiful boys about her, like cupids, fanning 
her ; and her women, representing the Nereids and 
Graces, leaned negligently on the sides and shrouds 
of the vessel, while troops of virgins, richly drest, 
marched on the banks of the river burning- incense 
and rich perfumes, which were covered with an in- 
finite number of people, gazing on in wonder and 
admiration. The Queen's success with Anthony 
was answerable to her expectations." 

No record appears to exist of the dimensions of 
this vessel, but judging from the length of the voy- 
age, the number of attendants and servants prob- 
ably required by Cleopatra, their equipment and 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 5 

stores ; and judging from the fact also, that the 
galley was " laden with the most magnificent offer- 
ings and presents of all kinds," it is reasonable to 
suppose that this craft must have been of a consid- 
erable tonnage. 

The wanton splendor of Cleopatra's life has in- 
spired poets, painters, and historians, who have per- 
petuated her memory through nineteen centuries of 
time and change ; so that to-day her fame is as 
fresh and radiant as the morning sunbeam that 
rests upon the gray pyramids, obelisks, and temples 
of her native land. 

" Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 
Her infinite variety." 

" I died a queen, the Roman soldier found 
Me lying dead, my crown about my brows, 
A name forever ! lying robed and crowned 
Worthy a Roman spouse." 

Of other ancient vessels we have some knowl- 
edge, though not as much as could be wished. 
The Haw Ting, or flower-boats of the Chinese, 
with their rich ornamental carvings and silken dra- 
peries of vermilion and gold, sweet with the per- 
fume of sandal-wood ; the Greek and Roman 
galleys, which one historian, not over-gallant, com- 
pares to women — equally greedy of ornament ; the 
galley race for royal prizes between the Dolphin, 
Centaur, and Chivtcera, immortalized by Virgil — 
all these are of interest. Of the Venetian galleys, 
their sails embroidered in silver and gold, of the 
stately galleons of Portugal and Spain, and their 



6 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

conquests ; of the slender, swift, serpent-galleys of 
the Norsemen, floating white flags of peace, bear- 
ing the symbol of the lamb, and flaming, fighting 
flags of crimson, emblazoned with the fierce, flying 
dragon, — of these we have all read. Of great in- 
terest, too, are the Vikings, — those brave sea- 
captains, who counted it dishonor to die on land. 

One would gladly remain in company so good, 
so brave, so luxurious, and sail with mariners like 
these through the troubled waves of historical un- 
certainty, or drift with them upon the calm and 
misty waters of romance ; but my purpose is of a 
different, though not less agreeable, nature. I wish 
to trace as clearly and completely as possible the 
early history of yachting, illustrated by the por- 
traits of famous yachts, executed by artists no less 
famous when these vessels were in the zenith of 
their renown. At various periods I shall notice 
briefly some of the celebrated vessels of war and 
commerce, in order to trace more clearly the evolu- 
tion of the yacht. For she has developed side 
by side with her more industrious sisters, and at 
times, especially during the early days of her ex- 
istence, has shared in the laborious undertakings 
of both. 

Yachting history may be divided into two eras. 
The first dates from the year 1600 to the years 
181 2-1 5, when The Yacht Club — now the Royal 
Yacht Squadron — was founded, and modern yacht- 
ing may be said to have begun ; the second, from 
that date to the present time. I purpose to deal 
only with the first, comprising many events of in- 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 7 

terest, which hitherto have escaped the attention 
of historians of yachting. 

Yachting may be termed the poetry of the sea. 
No other sport or pastime has been so interwoven 
with romance and countless memories of daring 
deeds and glorious achievements. Further, it is 
among the most ancient, as well as the noblest, of 
sports ; and as mastery by fair means is the essence 
of every sport, no other can compare in interest 
and excitement with mastery upon the sea. 

In every age there have been men to whom sea- 
faring has been a recreation and a delight. Indeed, 
yachtsmen may be regarded as the patricians of 
the sea ; free from its hardships and privations, 
though amenable to its written and unwritten laws, 
and participating in its dangers and delights. By 
degrees, yacht-racing has become the popular fea- 
ture of yachting, though early history shows that 
yachts enjoyed a flourishing existence for nearly 
two centuries before racing came into fashion. 
Even at the present time, it is safe to say that for 
every mile sailed by yachts in races during a sea- 
son, hundreds of miles are sailed by cruising yachts, 
whose owners enjoy their contests with wind and 
wave as keenly as if they were sailing over pre- 
scribed courses for prizes. Still, racing is, and 
must always be, the most popular feature of yacht- 
ing, as it affords opportunities for the display of 
skill and courage, and composing those beautiful 
marine pictures, of which not only yachtsmen, but 
vast throngs of people who know little about yacht- 
ing delight to form a part. 




8 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Yachts should be, and, as a rule are, a skilful 
combination of strength, comfort, beauty of form, 
speed, refined decoration and equipment ; and 
among seamen it has ever been deemed the high- 
est compliment to say of a man-of-war or a mer- 

ant-ship that she looks or handles like a yacht. 

In order to form an intelligent idea regarding 
the introduction of yachts into America and Eng- 
land, it is necessary to turn to Holland, where they 
originated. Philip II. of Spain maintained his 
hold upon Flanders and Brabant; but in 1580 the 
seven other provinces formed themselves into the 
Republic of the United Netherlands, and by their 
situation were naturally led to commercial pursuits. 
In these they rapidly excelled. Amsterdam rose to 
be a city of the first rank, — the centre of commerce 
in Europe, — and Holland grew in wealth and in- 
fluence until it not only held its own against Spain, 
but invaded Spain's most valuable monopolies. 

From remote times, the people of Holland have 
been celebrated for their skill and industry upon 
the ocean. They were the first to develop the 
whale and herring fisheries, which proved not only 
a source of great wealth, but were the nursery of a 
splendid race of seamen. The country itself was 
rescued from the ocean by embankments, which 
were constructed with unceasing toil and skill, and 
was drained by innumerable pumps, driven by 
windmills. Yet upon this ground, lying below the 
level of the sea, was founded the most prosperous 
community in Europe, bearing for its motto, 
" Luctor et Emergo." 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING g 

In 1599, a fleet of seventy ships sailed from Hol- 
land for the Canary Islands, and captured the town 
of Laguna, which was plundered and burnt. An- 
other expedition attacked St. Thomas, and "brought 
off rich booty " ; while a third captured the Spanish 
galleon St James off St. Helena, " having a cargo 
of pearls, gems, gold, amber, and other goods of 
inestimable value." These, with seventeen brass 
guns and four hundred prisoners, were taken on 




A DUTCH MAN-OF-WAR, 1630 



board the Dutch ships and landed in Holland ; and 
" so great was the success of the Dutch upon the 
sea, and their names so famous in all parts, that one 
Embassy came to them from Japan, another from 
Morocco, and another from Persia, all extending 
invitations of friendship and the assurance of desire 
for mutual commerce." 

In 1628, Admiral Pieter Hein captured the 
Spanish silver fleet, the value of the cargoes of 
these vessels being 30,0x30,000 florins, or about 



lO 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 



^2, 500,000 Sterling. The capture of the treasure- 
fleet of Spain had long been the fervent desire and 
ambition of the great English Admirals Drake and 
Hawkins, and for which Queen Elizabeth, even 
in old age, had yearned, with hope deferred, and, 
finally never realized. 

Admiral Marten Tromp commanded fleets that 




THE "AMELIA" FLAQSHIP OF ADMIRAL TROMP, 1639 

were victorious in no less than thirty-two battles, 
■which were fought upon the sea ; while Admiral 
Michiel Ruyter, in 1636, commanded a privateer, 
built by the merchants of Flushing, with which he 
drove the French pirates from the coast of Hol- 
land. In 1640, Ruyter was appointed rear-admiral 
of a fleet that had been fitted out to assist Portugal 
in her struggle against Spain, and greatly distin- 
guished himself at the battle of St. Vincent, No- 




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THE HISTORY OF YACHTING ii 

vember 3, 1641. During the following year he 
left the navy to command a ship belonging to the 
Dutch East India Company. In 1652 he again 
joined the Dutch navy as admiral, and fought many 
battles against the fleets of England and France. 
For his services to Spain in her war with France, 
he was invested by the King of Spain with the 
title and dignity of Duke. He, perhaps, is also 
better known and remembered in England than 
any of the Dutch seamen of that period — and not 
without reason. 

Few nations can point to such a brilliant array 
of naval heroes as can Holland during the seven- 
teenth century ; or of admirals and commanders 
who fell while leading their fleets in the fury of 
battle. To name but a few : Pieter Hein, who fell 
before Dunkirk; Heemskerk, at Gibraltar; Van 
Galen, at Leghorn ; Pieter Florisz and Witte de 
With, at the victory of the Sound ; seven members 
of the Evertsen family, who fell as admirals or 
captains ;Tromp, at Ter Heide ; Van Gent, at Sole- 
bay ; Kortenaer and Wassenaer, at Lowestoff ; De 
Vries, near Schoonerveld ; De Liefde, at Kijkduin ; 
and Ruyter, in sight of Mount Etna. 

Little is known among English-speaking people 
concerning the lives and achievements of these and 
other renowned Dutch seamen of the seventeenth 
century. It is therefore to be hoped that at a day 
not far distant, some author, duly equipped for 
the task, will present to the world a naval history 
embracing this era of Holland's glory upon the 
sea. 



12 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

No two nations in Europe were more unlike in 
the essential qualities that form the character of a 
people than were Holland and Spain ; yet there 
can be little doubt that the Spanish occupation of 
the Netherlands exerted a powerful influence upon 
the people of Holland. This was manifested in 
their manners and customs, as well as in their 
maritime affairs, which explains the design and 




A DUTCH EAST-INDIAMAN, 1630 



decoration of the vessels of Holland during the 
seventeenth century, as well as the luxurious habits 
and refinement among her people of position and 
wealth. A love of the arts also was encouraged 
and developed to the highest degree. 

It is not difficult to trace the influence of Spain 
during the sixteenth century upon the construction, 
rig, and decoration of the ships of Holland, as 
well as upon those of England and France. In 
that century Spain was the leading maritime nation 



yiftrrrjJqfi'J 



litriiiA 



'■^UrSK- 



Admiral Pieter Hein. Capturing the Spanish Silver 
Fleet, 1628. 



OTv' 



A Dutch Man-of-War. 1670. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 13 

of the world, and as Spain and Portugal in the fif- 
teenth century had been influenced by Venice and 
Genoa in the architecture and equipment of their 
ships, so Holland felt the influence of Spain later. 

It was quite natural, therefore, that a refined 
and wealthy people as the Hollanders were, living 
in a country situated upon an inland sea and inter- 
sected by waterways and canals, — the highways of 
commerce and travel, — should have had both their 
private and public conveyance by water. This was 
what the people did have ; and this conveyance 
was called Jaght, from Jagen, meaning, originality, 
a boat drawn by horses (to-day Jaghers Gce^'en 
means a towrope), and later a swift, light-built, 
handsomely furnished, and beautifully decorated 
vessel used either as a private pleasure-vessel or 
as a vessel of State, or of the Admiralty, or at- 
tached to an expedition or squadron. The English 
word yacht is derived from the Dutch Jaght, and, 
until late into the eighteenth century, was frequently 
written Yatch, Yatcht. 

When the yacht came into existence in Holland 
the term applied to the vessel wzsjagki Schip. It 
denoted swiftness and probably, chasing or hunt- 
ing ; for the ancient yacht of Holland was put to a 
variety of uses. After a time, however, Schip was 
abandoned, Jaght only being used. From a Dutch- 
Latin dictionary, published at Antwerp in 1 599, we 
trace the etymology of the word Jaght, which takes 
its root in Jaghen, meaning to hunt, to chase, to 
pursue, to strive after ; rapid motion, haste, or 
hurry ; also meaning to tow with horses. From 



14 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

this is derived tiu- slaiii;- word Jaghtcn, meaning to 
hurr)' up, to ilrive forward, to urge to greater 
speed ; also the woril Jaglit — the chase, hunt, 
hunting. 

yct'^/ii was by no means appHed exclusively 
to vessels ; indeed, from the same authority we 
take the following definitions of the word : Jaglit 
Hoiid, a hunting hound ; "Jirg/// jVr/, a hunting net ; 
Jag/it J\-(-rd, a huntsman's or hunting horse ; ya^hi 
Horcu, a himting horn, trumpet, or clarion ; Jaght 
Stock, a hunting staff e>r spear ; Jaght J ogcl, a 
hunting hawk. 

In the above definitions we do not find any sug- 
gestion of the yacht as a vessel, but the same dic- 
tionary gives Jirg///, Jag/itc, Jaght Schip — a swift, 
light-built vessel of war, commerce, or pleasure, — 
a yacht. 

The word, it is seen, had a wide meaning, and 
often signified a spendidly furnished State or pri- 
\ate vessel handsomely and comfortably furnished ; 
also a small private vessel, owned partly for pleas- 
ure, partly for use ; or a vessel attached to a 
squadron, fitted with accommodations for an admi- 
ral or other officer ; used to communicate with the 
vessels of a fleet or with the shore ; carrying dis- 
patches or keeping watch on an enemy's ships. A 
yacht might also be a vessel engaged upon an ex- 
pedition, alone or in company with other vessels. 
And yet, with this wide range of uses, there was 
something distinctive about the seventeenth-century 
yacht of Holland — she could never be mistaken for 
anything else. 



ri! IT' 






■'•or'I 



Yacht Owned by the Burgomasters of Amsterdam in 
the Year 1600. 



1 n ! n o' ; 1 ■. 1 • 



.'i 'J 



ffi*S-fr 







THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 15 

When yachts were first used and built in Hol- 
land is not known ; probably at a very early date. 
Naturally, from the nature of the country, they 
were a necessity, as were the private carriages and 
public coaches in other countries before the days of 
steam ; and the various types of yachts used in 
Holland were as numerous as their employment ; 
we should feel deeply indebted to the Dutch artists 
of that period, upon whose canvas yacht-portraits 
have frequently been delineated. 

The most ancient yacht of which diligent and 
careful research has been able to discover a por- 
trait, is one that was owned by the burgomasters of 
Amsterdam about the year 1600. The original 
picture is executed by Rool, in India ink on parch- 
ment. Worn by age, it nevertheless gives the de- 
tails of the hull and rig with the fidelity and 
minuteness for which the artists of Holland are 
justly famous. This yacht was probably used by 
the burgomasters in their various official duties 
afloat, to their great comfort and enjoyment : a por- 
trait is also given of the yacht owned by Maurice 
of Nassau, the younger son of William the Silent, 
who died at The Hague on April 23, 1625. 

In 1638 Queen Mary of France visited Holland, 
receiving a series of splendid ovations at the various 
cities en route. A representation of the review in 
her honor by the yachts of Amsterdam is here given. 

Some particulars of the seventeenth - century 
yachts of Holland are given in the Dictionaire de 
Marine, published in Amsterdam, 1 702. The meas- 
urements in this work are in the Rhenish foot of 



1 6 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

II Rhenish inches, equal to 12.35652 English 
inches ; the following being the dimensions for a 
small yacht : Length from stem to stern-post, 42 
feet ; breadth, 9 feet 4 inches ; depth at the wale, 3 
feet 85 inches. The keel, or, as it was called, " sole," 
was 6 feet wide amidships, and 5 inches thick, being 
a combination of keel and garboards, and 30 feet 
long. The stern-post was 6 feet 4 inches in length, 
with I foot 5^ inches rake ; 6 inches thick inside, 
and 4 inches outside ; 8 inches wide at the head, 
and 3 feet six inches at the heel. The stem was 6 
feet 6 inches high, and 10 feet 6 inches rake ; 2 feet 
wide at the head, and i foot 2 inches where it 
joined the keel ; 6 inches thick on the inside, and 4 
inches on the outside, with 14 inches rounding. 
The planking was 2 inches thick, and the wale 4 
inches thick, and 5 inches wide ; the planking above 
the wale, 12 inches wide, and \\ inches thick. The 
floor timbers were \\ inches square, and 3^ inches 
at the wale. Yachts of this type were-steered with 
iron tillers, slightly curved, and were fitted with 
leaden pumps on both sides, to allow pumping on 
either tack. 

The Staaten Jaght, or State yacht, was used for 
various purposes : to regulate shipping, prevent 
smuggling, collect revenue, and the like. The 
Admiraliteit Jaght, or Admiralty yacht, was used 
by admirals in connection with their fleets, fre- 
quently performing important service ; they were 
attached to the fleet of every Dutch admiral during 
the naval wars of the seventeenth century. In the 
memorable battle of June 3, 1665, Admiral Opdam 



'M 

V 




,13JYu>I iB-iimbA lo brinmrnoD labrm iaalH jbJutl orlT 
ojIuQ S):IJ lo bnismmoD labnu rj'A'i riailgnH sdj bm; 
.dddi ,4ii 3nij[ .Jiaquil SDniiT briB aliBmacflA lo 



The Dutch Fleet under Command of Admiral Ruyter, 
and the English Fleet under Command of the Duke 
of Albemarle and Prince Rupert. June 14, 1666. 



.m 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 17 

had seven yachts in his fleet. When Admiral 
Ruyter fought the fleet of the Duke of Albemarle 
and Prince Rupert on June 14, 1666, he had eight 
yachts attached to his fleet. An illustration of this 
famous battle, herewith, discloses two of the yachts 
just to windward of the flag-ship. When Ruyter 
defeated the combined fleets of England and 
France off Schevening, August 11, 1673, he had a 
squadron of fourteen yachts attached to his fleet. 
During this battle the memorable sea-duel took 
place between Admiral Tromp, in the Golden Lion, 
and Admiral Sir Edward Spragge, in the Royal 
Prince, when Spragge, backing his maintopsail, 
waited for Tromp to come up. After fighting for 
three hours, the Royal Prince was so disabled that 
Spragge took to his boat and went on board the St. 
George. Here he rehoisted his flag. At the same 
time Tromp changed his flag to the Comet, and re- 
newed the fight with fury. The St. George lost her 
mainmast, and was so disabled that Spragge deter- 
mined to change his flag, — this time to the Royal 
Charles. His boat, however, was sunk by a shot, 
and he was drowned alongside his ship. So ended 
this fierce encounter between the two famous 
admirals. 

The State and Admiralty yachts varied in size. 
The work already quoted gives the particulars of 
one : 66 feet in length ; 1 9 feet breadth ; stern-post, 

11 feet in length; 2 feet 3 inches rake; stem, 12 
feet high, and 10 feet rake ; keel, 54 feet in length, 

12 inches wide, and 10 inches thick. The plank- 
ing varied from \\ to 3 inches in thickness, and 



1 8 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

from 9 inches to i8 inches in width. The deck 
was raised i8 inches at a point 33 feet from the 
stem, and continued for 18 feet. This formed the 
captain's cabin ; and aft where the deck was low- 
ered it made a cockpit for the helmsman, and also 
afforded protection in stormy weather. The sails 
were hoisted by a windlass, placed against the mast. 

The largest type of yacht belonged to the Dutch 
East India Company ; it was ship-rigged, the same 
dictionary furnishing the following particulars of 
one of these yachts : Length, 1 1 5 feet from stem 
to stern-post ; breadth, 27 feet 5I inches ; depth of 
hold, II feet 5I inches; length of keel, 92 feet, 14 
inches thick, and 16 inches wide. The stern-post 
was 19 feet 6 inches in length, with 3 feet 3 inches 
rake, 1 1 \ inches thick inside, and 8 inches thick 
outside; 17 inches wide at the head, and 5 feet 4 
inches wide at the heel ; stem, 20 feet high ; 20 feet 
rake ; 2 feet 5^ inches wide at the head, and 3 feet 
3 inches wide where it joined the keel ; it was 11^ 
inches thick inside, and 8 inches outside, with scarph 
5 feet long, held together by 8 copper bolts. The 
planking was 3 inches thick, and the floor-timbers, 
9 inches square ; 7-^ inches square above the floor 
heads ; 6 inches square at the wale, and 5 inches 
square above the wale. The ceiling was 3 inches 
thick ; the stringers, 3^ inches thick ; the deck-beams, 
1 1-^ inches square ; the clamp of the deck-beams, 
5^ inches thick ; and the waterway clamp, 20 inches 
wide, and 4 inches thick. 

The hawse-holes were 1O5 x 9 inches in diameter, 
the fore-chains, 14 feet 5^ inches long, 4 inches 



Yacht Owned by Maurice of Nassau. 1625. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 19 

thick, and 1 1\ inches wide . The main-chains were 
15 feet long 4 inches thick, and 1 1 -I- i nches wide ; 
the mizzen-chains, 5 feet 6 inches long, 3^ inches 
thick, and 7 inches wide. The foremast step was 
15 feet from the stem ; the mainmast step, 60 feet 
from the stem, and the mizzenmast step, 20 feet 
from the stern. The rudder was 3 feet 7 inches 
wide, and 8 inches thick at the fore part, tapering 
to 6 inches at the after edge. 

Besides these, there was the Gouvernante yaght, 
or Government yacht, used for the accommodation 
of the Government officials, — carrying Govern- 
ment dispatches, and the like. Then the Reizi- 
ger Jaght or Passenger yacht, used for conveying 
passengers. 

The Dutch East India Company owned a variety 
of yachts, used by the officials for business or 
pleasure ; frequently they were sent upon foreign 
voyages : sometimes alone, sometimes accompany- 
ing one or more ships. 

The private yachts, however, were the most nu- 
merous and it is probable that at that period almost 
every one in Holland who could afford a yacht, 
owned one of some kind. They ranged in size and 
appointments from the modest Boeyer, of eighteen 
or twenty feet in length, to yachts of one hundred 
and fifty tons, equipped with every luxury of the 
time, and splendidly decorated. 

Various portraits of these private yachts are here 
given. With these and others, together with par- 
ticulars of construction, we fortunately are enabled 
to form a fairly accurate idea as to the yachts of 



20 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Holland at that period. From them originated the 
yachts of America and England. 

No record states that the yachts of Holland ever 
raced, or that there were any yacht-clubs, although 
the Hollanders had mimic parades, in imitation of 
naval reviews and battles. An illustration is here 
given of " The Amsterdam Yachts enacting a bat- 
tle on the occasion of the visit of Peter the Great, 
in 1697." An account of this celebration was pub- 
lished at Amsterdam in the same year, and reads 
as follows : " After the Muscovian Ambassy had 
seen all that captures the eyes and hearts of for- 
eigners in the famous merchant-city of Amsterdam, 
the worthy Council of the city conceived the idea 
of representing to the Ambassy a mock fight, imi- 
tating a sea-fight, on the river Y, and therefore re- 
quested the amateurs of both the havens for yachts 
to kindly prepare themselves by the first of Sep- 
tember ; and in order that all might be properly 
arranged, the Admiral, Gillis Schey, for whom one 
of the yachts of the East India Company was pro- 
vided, took command, and issued to the yachtsmen 
instructions whereby they might be guided : 

" I. When the Admiral intends to go under sail 
with his squadron, he will hoist a blue flag under 
the Prince's flag at the top, and fire a gun. 

" 2. When the Admiral intends that the squadron 
shall be ranged, he will hoist the Prince's flag under 
the head of the gaff, and fire a gun. 

" 3. When the Admiral thinks it necessary for 
the squadron to turn, he will hoist the Prince's flag, 
and fire a gun, then the yacht astern shall turn 



.8£di .frt' 



ng a bat- 

;c o{ i^cter the 






Review of Yachts, 'in Honor of yii'een Mary of — 
France, at Amsterdam. 1638. "ck fight, imi- 

theret 



iral int( 



ire a gun. 

ry for 
s flag, 
i turn 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 21 

first, so that the last yacht becomes the first in 
the squadron. 

"4. When the Admiral thinks that the proper 
moment has come to attack the enemy, he will hoist 
a red flag under the Prince's flag, and fire a gun. 

" 5. When the Admiral thinks it advisable to 
cease the battle, he will hoist a white flag under 
the Prince's flag, and fire a gun. 

" 6. When the Admiral requires that the Dis- 
patch yacht shall come near him to receive instruc- 
tions, he will hoist a blue pennant half-high at the 
gaff, and fire a shot. 

" There were also invited to be present another 
yacht of the East India Company, a yacht of the 
West India Company, and a yacht of Friesland." 

On September i, 1697, "at half-past two in the 
afternoon, the fleet went out under sail, accompa- 
nied by four tenders (probably small yachts to rep- 
resent the yachts attached to a fleet in actual battle), 
wherein one hundred volunteers were placed, mostly 
young men — sons of prominent burgers — well-pro- 
vided with muskets. The fleet began very well 
directed manoeuvres ; and, after having kept their 
course for some time, they passed alongside one 
another in perfect line, firing their cannon with 
great energy, the charges being enlarged a great 
deal, to give more show and importance to thie bat- 
tle. The Blanwhoofd carried eleven extra guns ; 
the Keerweer eleven, and the Amsielbtirg sixteen. 

" The houses of the surrounding villages trembled 
during the heavy cannonade. Between, was heard 
the discharge of the muskets of the volunteers, as 



22 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 



often as the yacht with the Ambassy on board 
was passed. 

" The whole river Y, as far as the eye could see, 
was covered with all kinds of vessels, filled with 
people who had come out of curiosity to see this 
rare and beautiful spectacle. At the same time, 
notwithstanding the large number of craft where- 
from some disaster might be expected, all was con- 
ducted in perfect order, and the positions of the 



penecL urucr, auu tiie p 



A 




REVIEW OF AMSTERDAM YACHTS, 1717 

vessels so well kept, that the people, who filled 
both yacht-harbors and the dikes as far as Schilling- 
wen and Nieuwendam, could not refrain from ex- 
pressing their astonishment. 

" The closing-in of the evening ended the battle, 
the Ambassy expressing perfect pleasure at all they 
had witnessed." 

An illustration of another celebration of this 



■'^■"^i^imma^ 




y 



,-.iiBW-...,u. 







\0' ■ ' 



.li- 




- far as 
oJl kii 



ndinp- the 



llf; 



The Amsterdam Yachts Enacting a Battle Scene 
on the Occasion of the Visit of Peter the 
Great. ' 1697. 



M YACMTfl iytt 



astoni 
-in of th 



bnttlc 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 23 

kind is Iiere introduced, the occasion being the 
visit to Amsterdam, about the year 1 71 7, of Czarina 
Catherine, wife of Peter the Great. 

It seems quite absurd to think of these ancient 
yachts as having been built for speed, yet such is 
the fact. And while no record can be traced of 




A DAMLOOPER" 



their having sailed in matches, they no doubt had 
contests of speed quite as exciting, — chasing smug- 
glers and pirates, carrying dispatches, and being 
under the guns of an enemy. 



24 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

To place the yacht of Holland in true relation to 
the vessels of her time, the portrait of a Dutch 
trading-craft, not constructed especially for speed, 
is here given. It is called a Damlooper, the type 
existing to the present day. 

At this period, the yachts of Holland, whose 
portraits are reproduced, with the exception of the 
ship, are all of the Sloepe rig, from which is de- 
rived the English word, sloop, together with the 
American sloop and British cutter-rig. This sub- 
ject is one of interest to yachtsmen, hence we will 
trace the evolution of these rigs under the differ- 
ent conditions and requirements which existed in 
America and England. For the present we will 
take up the rig as it first appeared in Holland. 

The sloop was originally a boat carried by a ves- 
sel. An illustration of one of them is here given. 
By degrees, sloops were built larger, until the 
sloop became a sea-going vessel of considerable 
tonnage. 

The Dictionaire de Marine, published in 1702, 
and previously referred to, gives the following de- 
scription of the various kinds of sloops then in 
use : 

" Sloop : This is a sea-going vessel, used for the 
service of and communication between large ships ; 
it also is used to make short trips to sea ; although 
some of them make long trips, and even ocean voy- 
ages. Every sloop, used for the service of large 
ships, has a crew of at least six : the officer, who is 
at the helm, and five oarsmen, one at each oar. 
Commonly it is a boatswain who is in command." 




■i^C)! .^,W 



whose 
produced, with th iion of the 

'^" '-e rig, f lich is de- 

sloop, ■ with the 

!sh cut This sub- 

jcc; ve will 



A Slocp. 1675. 

il the 

to, 



US kin ui 

.or tlie 

.,.,,. . ,....^: ships ; 

to makf- «;hort • hough 



sloop, I 
■ . i^;ew o^ ■• vviiu 13 

a, and . :h oar. 

it is a boa mmand." 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 25 

The following is the description of a sloop 32 feet 
in length : 8 feet 9 inches breadth ; 2 feet 3 inches 
deep below the gunwale. The length of the keel 
was 25 feet 6 inches. The keel, or sole, was 5 feet 
three inches wide, and 2 inches thick ; floor-timbers, 
3 inches by 2 inches ; spaced, i foot 6 inches ; stem, 
6 feet 5 inches high ; 4 feet 9 inches rake ; 13 inches 
wide at head, 10 inches at bottom, 3 inches on fore- 
side, and 4 inches on after-side ; stern-post, 5 feet 
9 inches high, i foot 10 inches rake, 2 feet wide at 
heel, I foot at head, 7^^ inches on fore-side, and \\ 
inches on the after-side. Sloops of this kind were 
carried by ships ; and used to run out anchors, to 
bring off water and provisions, and generally used 
as tenders. Here we find a similarity between the 
sloop and cutter; as a cutter may also be a ship's 
boat or a powerful sea-going vessel. 

Another class of sloop was length over all 42 feet ; 
breadth, 9 feet ; keel, or sole, 7 feet wide ; stem, 5 
feet 6 inches high, and 6^ feet 6 inches rake ; stern- 
post, 7 feet high and 2 feet rake. These sloops 
were rigged with two masts : mainmast, 24 feet 
long ; gaff, 1 2 feet 6 inches, and main-boom 2 1 feet 
long; foremast, 15 feet long; gaff, 10 feet ; boom, 
1 1 feet 6 inches long. It will be noticed that these 
vessels carried no bowsprit. From this, too, it ap- 
pears that a sloop of that date, and during the sev- 
enteenth century, sometimes carried two masts. 

The largest sloops, which sailed to the Cape 
Verd Islands, were in length 55 feet; breadth, 12 
feet 6 inches ; stem, 8 feet 6 inches ; and stern-post, 
9 feet 6 inches high. 



26 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

From the dictionary already quoted and pub- 
lished at Antwerp, 1599, we find Sloepe, Sloepken, 
— a little ship, skiff, or boat. It therefore seems 
probable that at this early period the term Sloepe 
was applied more to the type of vessel than to the 
rig. By degrees, as rigs multiplied among small 
craft, a single-masted vessel in Holland became 
known as a Sloepe — the germ of the American sloop 
and British cutter-rig. Along diverging lines these 
developed until they became quite distinct in every 
essential detail of hull, spars, sails and rigging. 

It will be noticed that all of the yachts whose 
portraits are here given, with the exception of the 
ship, carry lee-boards. The Dictionaire de Marine 
(1702), gives the following description of the lee- 
board : " The lee-board is made of three boards 
laid over one another, and cut in the shape of the 
sole of a shoe, or of a half oval. The bylanders 
and hookers use them for sailing close-hauled, and 
generally these vessels have two lee-boards hanging 
on either of their sides. If one wishes to sail close- 
hauled, the lee-board, which is on the lee side, is 
lowered into the water, and thus prevents the vessel 
from falling off ; the other lee-board remains hang- 
ing against the weather-side. Lee-boards are of 
very general use in navigation on inland waters, 
but at sea they are now — 1702 — seldom seen unless 
on a few square boeiers, some light galeots, or 
small fishing-boats." 

When the lee-board was first used or by whom it 
was invented, is not known. It is probable that 
the idea was introduced into Holland during the 



•rtiontir" 



_. per c 
■/np of 



■\ed among' sm • 
masted 



A Bai&as~ 



t 



.1 the V 
' use m 



joards 

_r .1. „ 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 27 

occupation of the Netherlands by Spain, by some 
ancient Spanish navigator from the Pacific, as 
Prescott relates in his Conquest of Peru that in 
1 53 1 Pizzaro commanded an expedition, consisting 
of two vessels under the immediate charge of the 
famous old pilot, Bartholomew Ruiz ; and while 
sailing southward from Panama in the open sea 
Ruiz " was surprised by the sight of a vessel, seem- 
ing in the distance like a caravel of considerable 
size, traversed by a large sail that carried it slug- 
gishly over the waters. The old navigator was 
not a little perplexed by this phenomenon, as he 
was confident that no European bark could have 
been before him in these latitudes; and no Indian 
nation yet discovered — not even the civilized Mex- 
ican — was acquainted with the use of sails in navi- 
gation. As he drew near, he found it was a large 
vessel, or rather raft, called "balsa" by the natives, 
consisting of a number of huge timbers of a light 
porous wood, tightly lashed together with a frail 
flooring of reeds, raised on them by way of a deck. 
Two masts, or sturdy poles, erected in the middle 
of the vessel, sustained a large square sail of cotton, 
while a rude kind of rudder and movable keel, 
made of plank, inserted between the logs, enabled 
the mariner to give a direction to the floating fabric,, 
which held on its course without the aid of oar or 
paddle. The simple architecture of this craft was 
sufficient for the purpose of the natives, and in- 
deed has continued to answer them to the present 
day ; for the balsa, surmounted by small thatched 
huts, or cabins, still supplies the most commodious 



28 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

means for the transportation of passengers and 
luggage on the streams and along the shores of 
this part of the South American continent. 

" On coming alongside, Ruiz found several In- 
dians, both men and women, on board, some with 
rich ornaments on their persons, besides several 
articles wrought with considerable skill in gold and 
silver which they were carrying for purposes of 
trafific to different places along the coast. But 
what most attracted his attention was the woolen 
cloth of which some of their dresses were made. 
It was of a fine texture, delicately embroidered 
with figures of birds and flowers, and dyed in bril- 
liant colors. He also observed in the boat a pair 
of balances, made to weigh the precious metals. 
His astonishment at these proofs of ingenuity and 
civilization, so much higher than anything he had 
ever seen in the country, was heightened by the 
intelligence which he collected from some of these 
Indians. 

" In a short notice of this expedition, written 
apparently at the time of it, or soon after, a minute 
specification is given of several articles found in the 
balsa ; among them are mentioned vases and mir- 
rors of burnished silver, and curious fabrics, both 
cotton and woolen," 

A portrait of a balsa is here given, which shows 
the arrangement and working of the boards. This 
craft may he regarded as the first embodiment of 
the lee-board, sliding keel, revolving keel, centre- 
board, and fin keel. It is evident that this device 
made an impression upon the minds of the early 



Jffor.Y tnamrnsvo 







■>.iiT r(' , 




tinent. 
found several In- 

.cPiU wouiei Wh 

1 their r-^ 
. .v'ith con 

ley were carrying for purposes of 

rent places along the coast But 

acted t- " : voolen 

some ,- .,1,-, 

birds ? 

-'!so oijsei'. ed m Hit. ijuHi « pair 

A Gouvernante; J&ght,'ecghGtiyij|r|jp!e^^5i^§^%t;als. 

nt a': these ns-oofc; o*^ rrjF'er!':''"v and 

id 



lis deyif 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 29 

navigators. It certainly seems probable that the 
idea may have been introduced into Holland from 
the Pacific by the Spanish, together with the con- 
struction, rig, and decoration of the ships of Hol- 
land at that period. Of this there can be no 
reasonable doubt. 

In looking over the narratives of voyages of the 
early Dutch navigators, frequent mention of yachts 
are met with. 

In 1598 some merchants of Holland fitted out 
an expedition to cruise in the South Seas against 
the Spaniards, among them were Peter Van Be- 
veren, Hugo Gerritz, and John Bennick. The 
fleet consisted of the Maurice, Admiral Oliver Van 
Noort, the Henry Fredric, Captain James Glaasz ; 
yachts, Concord, Captain Peter Van Lint, and 
Hope, Captain John Huidecoope. These vessels 
sailed from Rotterdam, June 28, 1598, and, after 
capturing several Spanish galleons, and sailing 
around the globe, " arrived safely before the City 
of Rotterdam," August 26, 1601. 

June 27, 1598, a fleet, consisting of the Hope, 
500 tons; Faith, 320 tons; Charity, 300 tons; 
Fidelity, 220 tons and the yacht Merry Messenger, 
150 tons, sailed from Rotterdam, under command 
of Admiral De Weert, "being provided with all 
manner of provisions and ammunition, with cannon, 
money, merchandise and all necessaries whatever 
for a long voyage." It proceeded through the 
Straits of Magellan, thence across the Pacific, and 
home by way of the Cape of Good Hope, arriving 
at Rotterdam May 13, 1600. 



30 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

In 1598 the Dutch East India Company sent 
out six great ships and two yachts for India, under 
command of Cornelius Hemskike, which sailed out 
of the Texel on the ist of May, " and coming to- 
gether to the Cape of Good Hope in August, 
were separated by a terrible storm. Four of them 
and a yacht put into the Isle of Maurice, east of 
Madagascar ; the other two ships and yacht put 
into the Isle of St. Mary, to the east of Mada- 
gascar, where they made stay, but sailing thence, 
arrived on the 26th of November, 1598, before 
Bantam ; and a month after them came the other 
four ships and yacht from the Island Maurice." 

In 1614 Admiral Spilbergen, " a man of estab- 
lished reputation for his knowledge in maritime 
affairs " sailed in command of a fleet fitted out by 
the Dutch East India Company, composed of the 
Great Sun, Full Moon, Huntsman, and yacht Sea 
Mew, all of Amsterdam, and the Aeohis of Zee- 
land, and Morning Star of Rotterdam. They 
sailed out of the Texel, August 8th, with a strong 
gale from the southeast, and proceeded to the 
coast of South America, thence through the Straits 
of Magellan, capturing and plundering the Spanish 
ships that they fell in with, until July 10, 161 5, 
when they sighted eight vessels which proved to 
be the Royal Fleet of Spain, commanded by 
Admiral Roderiofo de Mendoza. A fierce battle 
ensued, in which the yacht Sea Mew, sunk the 
admiral's ship St. Francis, the remainder of the 
Spanish fleet, consisting of the Jesti Maria, St. 
An7ie, Carmelite, St. James, Rosery, St. Andrew, 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 31 

and St. Mary being either destroyed or cap- 
tured. 

Other instances might be cited of the Dutch 
yachts of this period sailing upon distant and peril- 
ous voyages ; historical records establish the fact 
beyond doubt or question. 



CHAPTER II 

HOLLAND AND NEW NETHERLAND 

Henry Hudson and the yacht Half Moon — Hudson arrives at Sandy Hook 
and explores the North River — Voyage of Captain Adriaen Block, 
1613 — He loses the Tiger and builds the yacht Onrust, at Manhat- 
tan — Explores the Sound and discovers Block Island — Yachts of the 
Dutch West India Company — Yachts built and repaired in New 
Netherland — Lines of the Sparrow Hawk, wrecked on Cape Cod 
about 1620 and exhumed in 1863. 

IN the year 1609, Henry Hudson, an English- 
man, set sail from Amsterdam in command of 
the yacht, Halve Mesne. She is known in history 
as the Half Moon, of eighty tons burden, and was 
owned by the Dutch East India Company. The 
object of this voyage was the discovery of a 
northern route to India, a vision that allured mer- 
chants and navigators of England and Holland at 
that period, and which was realized only during 
the latter part of the last century. 

Hudson was an able navigator, and had attracted 
the attention of the directors of the Dutch East 
India Company by his two voyages from England 
in search of a northeast passage to India. More- 
over, during one of these voyages he had reached 
a higher latitude than any previous explorer. 
Hence, the Dutch East India Company fitted out 
the Half Moon, and paid Hudson the sum of ^64. 
sterling with which to provide an outfit. In case 

32 



•OJdi .vnBqmoD Erbni i-'luCI o/ij hi ir'.-^iCf A 



' ^^'^ y""'" arrive^ pt =;rinrlv Un 



1 — V'achts of the 
red in New 



A Yacht 



icht of the Du'tyh Ek'st''Ii<dia"06m^tiyi''i:'i65oi 

alf Moon, '.mi. and was 

, the Dutch J 1^, 

■' this V- , . 

'nute to 

.ivigatnrs of 

during 



.;• 1 

ed out 
ni of ^64. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 33 

he lost his Hfe the directors agreed to give his 
widow £,i(y. sterling. But, on the other hand, if 
he found " the passage good and suitable for the 
company to use," they promised to reward Hudson 
" for his dangers, trouble, and knowledge, accord- 
ing to their discretion ; with which the before- 
mentioned Hudson is content." Evidently he was 
a man easily satisfied. 

On Saturday, April 4, 1609, the Half Moon 
sailed from Amsterdam, and on Monday, "by 
twelve of the clock," passed the Texel. She had a 
crew of sixteen hands, composed of English and 
Dutch sailors. The mate, Robert Juet, who acted 
as captain's clerk, was a Netherlander, and had 
sailed with Hudson as mate on his preceding 
voyage. 

On May 5th they were off the North Cape, 
steering along the northern coast of Nova Zembla, 
when they were stopped by the ice. On May 14th 
Hudson decided to steer to the westward. Two 
weeks later he put into Stromo, one of the Faroe 
Islands, where, after filling his water-casks, he kept 
on his course to the westward and encountered 
heavy westerly gales with a high sea. On June 
15th, in latitude 48, the Half Moon "spent over- 
board her foremast," and some of her sails were 
split and blown away. On July 2d she was on 
soundings off the Banks of Newfoundland, and on 
the following day Hudson sighted "a great fleet of 
Frenchmen which lay fishing on the Banks, but he 
spake with none of them. Soon after, it fell calm, 
and he allowed his own company to try for cod." 



34 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

May 1 2th land was sighted ; and on the i8th the 
Half Moo7i anchored in a harbor, supposed to have 
been what is now known as Penobscot Bay, on the 
coast of Maine. After remaining there for a few 
days, and fitting a new foremast, Hudson steered 
away to the southward. On August 3d he ap- 
proached the land and sent on shore five men, who 
returned with " rose trees and goodly grapes." 
Still steering to the southward, he made the mouth 
of King James River, in Virginia. He decided, 
then, to stand to the northward ; and, accordingly, 
on August 28th, he discovered a bay, now known 
as the Delaware. Passing the lower cape at noon, 
he saw shores stretching away to the northwest, 
and more land to the northeast. This he at first 
believed to be an island, but it proved to be the 
mainland of the second point of the bay. The re- 
mainder of the day was spent in taking soundings. 
The waters were found filled with shoals, and the 
Half Moon, though of light draft, struck several 
times upon the sands ; at sunset she anchored in 
eight fathoms. 

The next morning, at daylight, Hudson got 
under way and continued his explorations. He 
stood toward the " norther land " and the Half 
Moon again " strooke ground " with her rudder. 
By this time Hudson came to the conclusion that 
this was not the road to India, so, takingr formal 
possession of all the land he had seen, he stood off 
shore, rightly surmising, " from the strength of the 
current that set out and caused the accumulation of 
sands, that a large river discharged into the bay." 




.o?c)i .-/nr.qmo'J r.ibril Ve.r.Ti ihiuLl oilJ }o 




'>m- 



:i lana was sig d on thf- '''^'^ the 

ai-r1-\nred in a - -.^uppor --ve 

known as 1 'ay, on the 

After remaining there for a few 

1 new foremast, Hudson steered 

thward On August 3d he ap- 

and sent on shore five men, who 

vita "rose trees and goodly grapes." 

mg to the southward, he made. the mouth 

es River, if" ■^'''- -^i";-! He decided, 

■ to the nor^ -rordingly, 

;,, '.,. .i.v • iwer ca(:>e at noon, 

'•-A"-¥acff^ W'the-Dutcli East- ■ I-ndiaT' C&\«pdJ^<^^W6§&. 
.,,,,' ,,,-,,- iand to tne nortiieast. This he at first 
o be an island, but it proved to be the. 
niamland of the seco. the bay. The re- 

...ain-icr of the d;- ' ' ' ndings. 

Ihe waters were -^ '^d the 

Half Moon, though -''^1 

upon the sands; at s^ 'ored in 



i. ne next uj'- 
■ ider wav and 
ood to- 

■ Hudso: 
.... the rot;, 
of all the lam 
htly surmising, '• from 
M. that set out - ' 



udson got 
lions. He 
1 the Half 
ler rudder, 
lusion that 
':ing formal 
:ie stood off 
iiofth of the 
.nulation of 
o the bav." 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 35 

Steering along the coast to the northward, he 
sighted high land with a low arm of sand jutting 
out, inside of which he anchored on the evening of 
September 3, 1609. The ^<3;//'i^<7tf», accordingly, 
was in all probability the first European vessel — 
certainly the first yacht — ^that ever passed the land 
now known as Sandy Hook. 

After exploring the noble river that bears his 
name, Hudson sailed for the Texel on October 
4th, and on November 7th he put into Dartmouth, 
where his vessel was seized by the English Gov- 
ernment, and the crew detained. For eight months 
she remained in England ; then, under another 
commander, she reached Amsterdam during the 
summer of 16 10. Four years after, in the spring 
of 16 14, she sailed from Holland for the East 
Indies, and was wrecked and lost on the Island of 
Mauritius, March 6, 16 15. 

Hudson sailed on one more voyage of explora- 
tion, leaving England April 10, 1610, in command 
of the Discoverie, a. vessel of 70 tons, when he 
penetrated the long straits, and discovered the 
great bay that bears his name. A mutiny broke 
out among the crew during the following summer, 
and Hudson, his son, and seven men were cast 
adrift in a shallop. The ringleaders and half the 
crew perished, and the ship was finally brought 
home to London. Hudson, however, was never 
heard of again. 

During the four years that followed Hudson's 
discovery, several vessels sailed from Holland to 
New Netherland, to trade with the Indians and to 



36 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

make further discoveries. At The Hague a com- 
pany was formed, consisting of the following 
vessels and schippers : Fortuyn, Cornells May ; 
Tiger, Adriaen Block ; Fortune, Henrick Cor- 
stiaenssen ; Little Fox, Jan de With ; Nightingale, 
Thys Volchertssen. Having loaded their vessels 
at New Netherland, all these skippers sailed, in 
the autumn of 1613, for home, excepting Adriaen 
Block. He was nearly ready for sea, when his ves- 
sel the Tiger — lying at anchor, laden with furs, in 
the harbor of Manhattan, just off the present Bat- 
terj' Place, at the foot of Greenwich Street — acci- 
dentally caught fire, and was damaged beyond repair. 

Skipper Block and his crew found themselves in 
a serious dilemma. Too late in the season to ex- 
pect any vessel from Holland, and there being at 
that time no huts or houses on Manhattan in- 
which white men could pass a winter, their only 
alternative was to rely upon help from the Indians. 
And in this they were not disappointed ; every 
kindness and assistance was shown to them. 
Block and his men at once built huts for shelter 
and protection from the cold, afterward he and his 
companions turned their attention to building a 
small vessel to replace the Tiger. 

It seems probable that the Tiger was not en- 
tirely destroyed, but that a considerable part of 
her stores, fittings, rigging, and sails were saved. 
These were no doubt used in constructing the new 
vessel ; especially the metal bolts, fastenings, and 
necessary tools ; otherwise, it is difficult to see how 
she could have been built at all. 



.Ofril 



lo isbuY A 



'^■P 



en. Havi: 

' ' I, all these SK^ppcrs . 

J, for home, excepting , -,. 

lot i-le ^A as nearly ready for sea, when hi«! ve?- 



; his crew i - 

A Yacht of'tHe^Butcff-Easptfridia Gomfiarfy^'" •^1-630'; 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING n 

Along the shore of the North River, between 
the old Castle Garden and Rector Street, at that 
time was a high bluff covered with nne oaks, suit- 
able for ship timber. Seeing that these could be 
easily lowered to the sandy beach below, the place 
was selected by Block for building his little vessel. 
Long afterward, there were flourishing ship-build- 
ing yards along this strand, till the timber was all 
cut down, and the ridge, later, levelled. 

Block and his companions suffered much from 
cold, and would have suffered from hunger also 
had not the kind-hearted Indians supplied them 
daily with food. Enabled thus to work through 
the dreary winter, they were, in the spring, ready 
, to launch their little ship, known in history, ac- 
cording to De Laet, as the yacht Onrust, or Rest- 
less, of eight lasts, or sixteen tons burden ; her 
length on deck, 44 feet 6 inches, and 38 feet on 
the keel, with 1 1 feet 6 inches beam. The Onrust 
was the first vessel built in this section of the 
country, and the second decked vessel built within 
the present limits of the United States ; the first 
was the Virginia, of thirty tons burden, built at 
the mouth of the Kennebec River, in the year 1608. 

When the Onrust was fitted out and ready for 
sea, Block sailed upon an exploring expedition 
through Hell Gate and the Sound, discovering 
Block Island, which bears his name. Then, six 
years before the Pilgrim ship Mayflower anchored 
in Plymouth harbor, he visited the unsettled shores 
of Massachusetts Bay. Subsequently, in 16 16, 
Skipper Hendericksen sailed the Onrust into the 



38 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Delaware Bay and up the river above the Schuyl- 
kill. This happened, too, seventy years before 
William Penn settled in this region, the Onrusf, 
therefore, being the first vessel to explore these 
waters. Lossing states that this vessel sailed for 
Holland with a cargo of furs ; but what became of 
her does not appear. 

In 1621 the Dutch West India Company ob- 
tained a charter "to colonize, govern, and defend 
New Netherland," and was expressly bound to 
"advance the peopling of those fruitful and un- 
settled parts." Accordingly in the spring of 1623, 
the ship New Netherland, of 260 tons burden, 
landed thirty families at Manhattan. This was 
the first attempt at the agricultural colonization of 
this territory, which became known as New Am- 
sterdam — now the city of New York. 

In New Netherland, the whole country being 
intersected by broad water-ways, yachts were quite 
as necessary as in Holland. Fortunately, then, 
upon looking through the old records of the 
Dutch West India Company, we obtain occasional 
glimpses of the yachts of that period. 

Among the list of effects of the Dutch West 
India Company in New Netherland returned to 
the Government, September 4, 1626, are included 
eighty-one vessels. Twenty-four of these are 
yachts. Two of the entries read : " 33 ships of 
200 a 300 a 350 lasts, including 9 or 10 big and 
little yachts which the Company hath still lying 
here in port, provided with metal and iron guns, 
and all sorts of supplies of ammunition of war, 



«.-L- elggT^^ .^: ■•-> 



.V. ■ ■vj-'apa^^. --:.:^^ . . ■-. r-.^. ..;,-;j^ 




1 CMTTNC 

;r above t 
yj'j, beventy yea.... .v.. 
in this region, the Onn. 
he first vessel to explore these 
states that this vessel sailed for 
cargo -^ ' ■ ' 1,^. 1,,.^..^.,. .f 

. India Company oh- 
iiarter "to colonize, govern, and defend 
eriand," and ■ ' ' ' to 

the peo'"'''^"^^ I'l- 

.-ts." A 
New Net/'. 
thirty families at I ■ i ins was 

-t- - "^ "Priv'ale Tichti u; .1.650. -.lization of 
known as New Am- 
low the 



oy ore vjUiLc 

„• ■■>■< ' then, 

he 



'=St 



.suppi; 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 39 

powder, muskets, arms, sabres, and whatever may 
be necessary for their equipment, which can 
be fitted for sea at the fourth part of their former 
cost, estimated, as more fully can be seen," and 
" 3 yachts which your High Mightinesses promised 
to indemnify the Company for in guns, powder, 
and other munitions of war ; as these are still 
wanting to complete the subsidy promised by the 
40th article of the Charter and by divers acknowl- 
edgments made by your High Mightinesses, as to 
be seen in resolutions." 

The following document has been preserved in 
the Dutch West India Company's records, cover- 
ing the work done during the years of 1633 to 
1638 : " Return of the ships built and repaired in 
New Netherland during Wouter van Twiller's 
Administration. 

" Before me, Cornells van Tienhoven, Secretary 
of New Netherland, appeared in presence of the 
undersigned witnesses, Tyman Jansen, Ship-car- 
penter, about 36 years old, and with true Chris- 
tian words in stead and promise of a solemn oath, 
if necessary, at the request of his Honor, Director- 
General Kief, declareu, testified, and deposed that 
it is perfectly true that he, deponent, during the 
administration of Mr. Van Twiller has worked as 
ship's carpenter and has been engaged on all old 
and new work which Mr. Twiller ordered to be 
made, to wit : 

"1633, the ship Souther ck, repaired and pro- 
vided with new knees. Other carpenters have 
long worked on the ship Hope of Greeningen and 



40 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Omlmideft. The yacht Hope, captured in 1632, by 
said Van Twiller, was entirely rebuilt and planked 
up higher. The yacht Prins Willeni has been 
built. The yacht Amsterdam almost finished. A 
large open boat. In the yacht Wesel ■axi orlop and 
caboose made. In the yacht Vreede the same. 
The boat Omwal at Fort Orange. The yacht 
with a mizzen sold to Barent Dircksen. The 
wood-cutters boat. Divers farm-boats and skiffs 
were sold to various parties. Also many boats and 
yawls made for the sloops. Moreover, the car- 
penters constantly repaired and caulked the old 
craft. 

" All of which the deponent declares to be true, 

and to have testified and deposed at the aforesaid 

request to the best of his knowledge, without 

regard of persons, but only in the interest of truth. 

Wybrant Pietersen, 



i as witnesses. 
Maurits Jansen, 

X This is the mark of 

Tymen Jansen." 

In 1640 the Directors and Council, residing at 
New Amsterdam, received information that " some 
strollers and vagabonds " had landed at Schouts 
Bay, and had committed certain depredations. 
Hence : " In order to obtain good and correct re- 
port and assurance of the aforesaid. Jacobus van 
Curler, Commissary of cargoes, is sent thither with 
the yacht Prins Willem, who, coming to the place 
where their High Mightinesses Arms had been set 
up, hath found the same broken down ; and on a 



A Private Yacht. 1650. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 41 

tree to which they were nailed was a fool's face 
carved in the stead of said Arms. All which afore- 
said appeared strange to us, being a criminal 
offence against his Majesty, and tending to the 
disparagement of their High Mightinesses." 

In 1649 the New Amsterdam yacht St. Beninjo 
is mentioned as being arrested in New England 
for some alleged irregularity, a long correspond- 
ence ensuing. 

In 1650, it appears, hostilities continued in the 
West Indies after peace had been declared ; evi- 
dent by the following communication : 

" To the High and Mighty Lords States-General 
of the United Netherlands. 
" High and mighty lords : 

" The Delegates from New Netherland respect- 
fully represent that they this day, the 12th April, 
1650, received and had communication of a certain 
deposition of William Nobel, late Surgeon of 
Captain Blaeuw's yacht La Garse, stating that the 
Spaniards in the West Indies were ignorant of the 
peace, and that both sides still continued hostilities 
in those parts ; also that peace has never been pro- 
claimed in New Netherlands." 

On June 16, 1654, Governor Stuyvesant com- 
missioned Carsten Jeroensen "to command the 
yacht Haen as skipper and chief, and to navigate 
her from New Amsterdam to the Island of Cura- 
cao." He also issued minute instructions for the 
voyage. The Haen was, however, subsequently 
captured by three Spanish ships, and taken into 



42 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

St. Domingo, Jeroensen not arriving in Holland 
until 1657. 

It is probable that at this period many private 
yachts were owned in New Amsterdam, else it is 
difficult to understand how communication could 
have been kept up, the first ferry to Long Island 
not having been established till 1637. It consisted 
of a skiff, which usually lay near the present Peck 
Slip, and was navigated by Cornelis Dinchsen. 
He had a farm near by ; and, summoned by the 
sound of a horn, hanging against a tree near the 
ferry, he came to transport passengers. 

It should be remembered that there were farms 
and settlements scattered along the shores at a 
considerable distance from New Amsterdam. It 
is probable, therefore, that the sturdy Dutch col- 
onists brought from Holland their quaint old cus- 
toms on the water, as well as those on the land. 
No satisfactory record of them, however, has been 
preserved ; and this is to be regretted. Notwith- 
standing, enough has been cited clearly to estab- 
lish the fact that there were yachts, and many of 
them, in and about New Amsterdam during the 
seventeenth century, while New Netherland was 
occupied by the Dutch, and although no portraits 
or models of these vessels exist, we may still form 
an idea of their design and construction from a 
small vessel discovered among the sands of Cape 
Cod in 1863, and exhibited in Boston soon after. 
This vessel proved to be the Spari'owhawk, re- 
ferred to in Governor Bradford's History of Ply- 
mouth Plantation A. D. 1620-2J, stated to have 



.ifbrV 



ated V 



A Reiziger Jaght, or Passenger Yacht. 



y 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 43 

been cast away during that period. Her hull was 
found to be in an excellent state of preservation, 
excepting the iron fastenings, which had entirely 
rusted away. Her lines were taken off, and are 
here given, together with her dimensions. 

In 1664, when New Netherland was ceded by 
Holland to Great Britain, the name was changed to 




DIV^FTof^hc PILGI^IM SHIP SPARROW-HAWK. 

BOOT. 3tiCER , AND HALF BnCAOTH PLAN. 

•j>imami>ra.—ZrngHi iO fia, jBreadlh llfal.iemaus.'O^i 9/il/,7/-?At/ia. 

New York. The population of New Amsterdam, 
then, was about 1500, the whole population of 
New Netherland numbering nearly 10,000. In 
1673 the city was surprised and captured by a 
Dutch squadron and the former name restored ; 
but in 1674, it was again ceded to Great Britain, 
and the name of New York resumed. 



CHAPTER III 

KING CHARLES II. RETURNS TO ENGLAND 

Prince Henry's pleasure ship Disdain, 1604 — -Shipbuilding, an "art or 
mystery " — Famous ships o£ this period — Origin of the frigate — Naval 
wars — Embarkation of Charles II., 1660, in a yacht owned by the 
Prince of Orange — Thirteen yachts in the cortege — The King re-em- 
barks and lands in England — The Restoration. 

IN 1603 King James I., son of Mary Queen of Scots, 
succeeded Queen Elizabeth. England and 
Scotland then became united under one flag, the 
red cross of St. George combining with the white 
cross of St. Andrew. This flag became known 
as the "Union Jack," a corruption of "Jacques," 
and so called in compliment to King James. In 
1 80 1, when Ireland was taken into the Union, the 
red diagonal cross of St. Patrick was added, the 
flag thus continuing to the present day. 

In 1604 Phineas Pett, a member of the distin- 
guished ship-building family, received instructions 
from Lord High-Admiral Howard to "build in all 
haste a miniature pleasure ship " for Prince Henry, 
the eldest son of King James. An account of this 
little vessel is given in a monograph of Phineas 
Pett, the manuscript being still preserved in the 
British Museum. The author thus describes the 
progress of this little ship : 

" About January 15, 1604, a letter was sent post- 
44 



.JrlDBY ylBiimb- -o^i ikl'dBtirnhk 







i 



JHAPT' 

RETUR ENGlA 

■liain, 1604 — S. 
i ships of this period — Origin 01 

,n of Ci^;^rk^ U.. i''.f'0, !ii a ■ 



amesi ^cots, 

A Adniiraliteit,J^t,:pr Admualt^^Y^ ^^^^ 

mbining with the white 

■e kno^vi 

f ■'■ques," 

.. In 



onanuir. >• 

. P1-,;n« ■ of fiif rliptiiv 



-ter was sent po; 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 45 

haste to Chatham from my Honorable Lord Ad- 
miral Howard, commanding me with all possible 
speed to build a little vessel for the young Prince 
Henry to disport himself in about London bridge 
and acquaint his Grace with shipping and the 
manner of that element ; setting me down the 
proportions and the manner of garnishing, which 
was to be like the work of the Ark Royal, battle- 
mentwise. This little ship was in length 28 feet 
by the keel, and in breadth 12 feet, garnished 
with painting and carving, both within board and 
without, very curiously, according to his Lordship's 
directions." 

Pett "wrought night and day by torch and 
candle," and the little ship was launched March 
6th, "with noise of drums, trumpets, and such like 
ceremonies." He was made captain of this royal 
vessel, which was " manned with almost all the 
boatswains of the navy, and other choice men," 
and was then sailed round into the Thames, where 
she arrived March 22d, and anchored off Black- 
wall. By order of the Lord Admiral, she was 
taken " right against the Tower before the King's 
lodgings," where she was visited by Prince Henry 
and the Lord High Admiral, who "took pleasure 
in beholding the ship, being furnished at all points 
with ensigns and pennants." A day or two later 
the Prince, with the Lord High Admiral and other 
noblemen, came on board, and Pett " weighed 
anchor and dropped down the river as low as 
Paul's Wharf where we anchored, and his Grace, 
according to the manner in such cases used, with a 



46 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

great bowle of wine christened the ship and called 
her by the name of Disdain." 

Pett was attached to the court of King James as 
Keeper and Captain of this craft. The young 
Prince Henry became fond of him, and before his 
death — in 1612 — he interested himself in Pett's 
promotion. Nothing further is recorded concern- 
ing the Disdain, except that she appears in the 
Navy List of 1618, and is rated as being of thirty 
tons burden. 

In the early part of the reign of King James I. 
the mercantile marine of England was much re- 
duced, nearly all the commerce being carried on by 
foreign vessels. The English East India Com- 
pany found in the merchants of Holland more for- 
midable rivals than they had found in either the 
Portuguese or the Spaniards, but the merchants of 
London were so inspired by the profits of their 
voyages to India that the East India Company 
thereupon obtained a new charter in 1609 for 
fifteen years, and constructed a new vessel of 1200 
tons burden, named the Trades Increase — the 
largest merchant-ship hitherto built in England. 
When she was launched, the Company gave a 
grand banquet, at which the dishes were of china- 
ware, a great novelty then in England, and "the 
King came down to a banquet on board of it, and 
put a chain of gold round the neck of the Governor." 

The Trades Increase was commanded by Sir 
Henry Middleton, and had a pinnace attached to 
her, named the Peppercorn, of 250 tons burden, 
and a "victualling barque" of 180 tons; also a 




.oidi ll'iuH .'iw 







, V :-i': 



istenea 

. i.„ .».■„ . - ^ ,, jamcs as 

in of this craft. The y 

id before his 
— he iiUeresieci nimaelf in F 
,.-;,;.,o- further is recorded coi. 
;-t that she appears L 

rated as being of thirty 

^^•nes 1. 
-h re- 
car] y all thi ^rce bei 

he English East lii' 
iom^dZHl-Momkr^Mts o?^%l!lM r- 



years, a- 
burdc:' 

. chant-sr 



Great iio^ and " the 

J vera or. 
,....d by Sir 
,'^ attached to 

jing bar^ju oo tons; also « 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 47 

tender named the Darling, of 90 tons. This fleet 
sailed for the East Indies, and the Trades Increase 
was wrecked and lost at Bantam ; Middleton died 
on board of her. The English East India Com- 
pany, however, persevered, and, among other ves- 
sels, sent the Globe, Hector, Thomas, New Years 
Gift, Merchants Hope, and Solomon upon pros- 
perous India voyages, until the profits of the Com- 
pany in one year amounted to 236 per cent, on the 
capital invested. 

In 1 6 10 the Royal Prince was launched, at that 
time the largest ship that had been built in Eng- 
land. She is thus described by Stow : " A most 
goodly ship for warre, the keel whereof was 114 
feet in length, and the cross-beam was 44 feet in 
length ; she will carry 64 pieces of ordnance, and 
is of burthen 1400 tons. The great workmaster 
in building this ship was Master Phineas Pett, 
Gentlemen, some time Master of Arts at Emanuel 
College, Cambridge." 

In 161 2 the Shipwrights Company was incor- 
porated by a charter granted to the " Master 
Warden and Commonalty of the Art or Mystery 
of Shipwrights " ; and Phineas Pett was the first 
Master. 

It is interesting to note that shipbuilding was 
regarded as "an art or mystery," and so continued 
for a considerable time. The first glimmering of 
science appeared during the reign of Charles II., 
and largely through the exertions and influence of 
the King. 

In 1637 the Sovereign of the Seas, of 1637 tons 



48 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

burden, built by Peter Pett, son of Phineas, was 
the first three-decker built in England. Her 
length over all was 232 feet, and her main breadth 
48 feet ; she carried 126 guns. Later she was cut 
down one deck, and remained in the service till 
1696, "with the character of the best man-of-war 
in the world." She was accidentally burned at 
Chatham. It appears to have been regarded as a 
remarkable coincidence, that the tonnage of this 
vessel was the same as the date of the year of her 
launching. 

In 1646 Peter Pett built the Constant Warwick, 
of 315 tons burden, and 32 guns. This was the 
first frigate built in England, and Pett caused the 
fact of his beingr the inventor of the frisfate to be 
engraved upon his tomb. Evelyn, in his diary, re- 
lates this conversation : " Sir Anthony Deane men- 
tioned what exceeding advantage we of this Nation 
had by being the first who built frigates, the first 
of which ever built was that vessel which was after- 
wards called the Constant Warwick, and was the 
work of Pett at Chatham, for a trial of making a 
vessell which would sail swiftly. It was built with 
low decks, the guns lying near the water, and was 
so light and swift of sailing, that in a short time she 
had, ere the Dutch war was ended, taken as much 
money from privateers as would have laden her." 

The dimensions of the Constant Warwick are 
given in Pepys Miscellanies, as follows : Length of 
keel, 85 feet ; breadth, 26 feet 5 inches ; depth, 13 
feet 2 inches ; carrying a crew of 140 men. 

The Constant Warwick was, no doubt, the first 



m 



ter she v 



used th 

The SoveTeigit. of. tki- SfflK- ': Buil^ ri^SZe 



eet • breadth 



n her." 
I'ayivick are 



i'VitfU/ick was, ao cioubt, thi 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 49 

frigate built in England, but the name was of earlier 
origin as well as the vessel, and was first used in 
the Mediterranean. The English word frigate is 
from the Italian Fregata, which was originally a 
swift vessel without decks, used by the Rhodians, 
and propelled by sails and oars. 

As we have seen, the Disdain was built during 
the reign of James I., whereas, the above mentioned 
are the principal ships built during the reign of 
King Charles I., and the period of the Common- 
wealth. No records of " pleasure-ships " appear 
during those gloomy and tempestuous years of 
England's history. The nation was occupied with 
other things. 

During 1652-53 and 1665-66 the naval wars be- 
tween England and Holland comprise some of the 
most desperate sea-battles that history records. In 
each of these wars the ultimate victory was with 
England's fleets, although it is probable that Eng- 
land was never so hard pressed on the sea as during 
those periods. Indeed, the defeat of the Armada 
was a parade compared to these sea-battles. 

During the former of these wars (1652), the 
Dutch Admiral Tromp sailed down the English 
Channel with a broom at his mast-head, in token of 
his intention to sweep the flag of England from the 
seas. There is a tradition in the Isle of Thanet 
that the English Admiral Blake replied by hoisting 
the first long narrow pennant ever set : " A coach- 
whip to flog the Dutchmen home again," he called 
it. This is believed to have been the origin of this 
pennant. If England had her Blake, Rupert, and 



50 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Penn, Holland also had her Ruyter, Tromp and 
Evertsens, and the names and exploits of these 
great admirals live, and will continue to endure 
side by side with the illustrious seamen in all ages 
that have commanded fleets. 

During the interval of peace between these great 
naval wars, Charles II. was called from Holland to 
ascend the throne of England. On May i, 1660, 
Parliament, by acclamation, resolved upon this 
measure ; and Pepys remarks that this day " will be 
remembered for the happiest May-day that hath 
been for many a year in England." 

Charles was at Breda when the welcome invita- 
tion reached him, accompanied, as it was, with 
_;^50,ooo voted by Parliament " for his present 
supply," the Guilds of London also sending ^1000 
each. These tangible tokens of loyalty were quite 
as acceptable, no doubt, as the crown ; for King 
Charles, whether in exile or upon the throne, was 
always in need of money, a natural consequence of 
his habit of scattering gold with a lavish hand. 

During his exile Charles had become a favorite 
with all classes in Holland. His cheerful, kindly 
ways, had gained him many devoted friends ; so 
much so that when the news of his accession to the 
throne became known, the Prince of Orange, after- 
ward King William III. of England, and many 
noblemen, determined to make his departure the oc- 
casion of a magnificent ovation. The finest yacht 
in Holland was placed at his disposal, on board of 
which he made the passage, from near Breda to 
Delft. 



.IdoRY 3iBic 



■iRBici A 




J her F 
aames ano 

and will c x i.iu l ^... 
illustrious seamen in all 
tided fleets. 

>etween. these ; 

-one of E , , - 

acclam upon this 

remarks that this day " will be 

i/^u lor lUc h,: • ■" ' Sat hath 
nanv a ye?'' ''!■> 

v.d; . . welcome invita- 

hed him, accompanied, i i&, with 

.•<x>AvSifeBcieAiJagBt^rHriStat^ Yaeht. luo present 

'' the Cuilds oi i ■ i. . ■ ding ;!iiooo 

'lese tnng-ih'e t • were quite 

^r King 

._ of sc."tr 
ring his favorite 



came knov 



d manv 



Jreda ti 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 51 

An account of the various ovations that Charles 
received was published by Adrian Vlackett, In 
Craven's Hage, 1660. Passing over the speeches 
addresses, banquets, and military displays, we turn 
to the yachting trip : 

" The yacht on board of which the King sailed 
had been built for himself by the Prince of Orange, 
but nov7 belongs to the Board of Admiralty of 
Rotterdam, and it was without doubt the finest of 
the little fleet, which consisted, without other 
ships, almost countless, of thirteen large yachts, 
which the persons of rank use in the rivers and on 
the sea, to pass from one province to another, for 
necessity as well as for pleasure. 

" The King found his yacht so convenient and 
comfortable, that he remarked, while discoursing 
with the Deputies, that he might order one of the 
same style, so soon as he should arrive in England, 
to use on the River Thames. Mr. Van Vlooswyck, 
Burgermaster of Amsterdam, and one of the Dep- 
uties of the province of Holland, taking occasion 
to do a considerable service to his fatherland, said 
to the King that lately a yacht has been built in 
Amsterdam which was almost of the same size, and 
at least as handsome, and he took the liberty of 
presenting it to his Majesty, praying him to do a 
favor to the Magistrate by accepting it. 

" The King did not absolutely accept it, but at 
the same time did not refuse, so that on the advice 
which Mr. Van Vlooswyck gave to the Magistrate 
of what had passed, the yacht was bought, which 
the Board of Admiralty has now received from the 



52 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

East India Company, and has been brought to an 
excellent state for giving pleasure to the great 
King, and to give it greater brilliancy, the Magis- 
trate has had the interior of the cabins decorated 
and gilded, while some of the best artists have 
been engaged in making beautiful paintings and 
sculptures with which to embellish it within and 
without. 

" No one would take upon himself the responsi- 
bility of distributing the yachts among the gentle- 
men of the Court, as it would have been impossible 
to please all equally, therefore, Mr. Van Bever- 
weert prayed the King to have the goodness to 
make the distribution, leaving the deputies no 
other course than to obey the commands of his 
Majesty, which on this occasion was necessary. 
The King consented to take upon himself this 
trouble, and commanded that his brother, the 
Duke of York, should assume the function of 
Admiral, distributing the yachts as he might con- 
sider best, under authority, and at his pleasure. 

" The Duke of York accordingly selected the 
yacht of the Princess Donariere of Orange for 
himself. The Duke of Glouster had the yacht of 
the States of Holland. The Princess Royal one of 
the yachts of the Council of State, and the Deputies 
of the States General had another. The Dep- 
uties of the States of Holland went in the yacht 
belonging to Mr. Van Beverweert, who also took 
with him Dom Esteven de Gamarra, who met the 
King at Breda, not in his ofificial capacity of Am- 
bassador, but as a personal friend of his Majesty ; 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 53 

also the Earl of the Rhine, My Lord Craft, and 
many other English gentlemen. 

" The Chancellor of England, with his family, 
and Mr. Edward Nichols, one of the Secretaries of 
State, embarked on board the yacht Power of Zea- 
land. The Marquis of Ormond, Viceroy of Ire- 
land, had the yacht of Captain Brouwer, and the 
Marquis of Worcester the yacht Post of Zealand. 
My Lords St. John and Belles the yacht of the 
Lord of Wassenaer ; Sir de Charles, brother-in-law 
of General Monk, and his company, consisting of 
the Deputies of the Army, had the yacht of the 
town of Dortrecht. My Lord Gerard, and many 
English gentlemen, took the yacht of the Lord of 
Noortwyck, while the thirteenth yacht, belonging 
to the Prince of Orange, was reserved for the 
Princess Royal as her bed-chamber. 

" Each yacht had her own steward, cooks, and 
officers, who were in charge of the pantry, kitchen 
and wines, and those yachts which had not suitable 
kitchens on board, were accompanied by other 
vessels, wherein stoves for the kitchen had been 
provided, also ovens for baking, and there had 
been made provisions of so great a quantity of all 
kinds of food, game, comfitures, and wines, and all 
the tables were so fully served, that the stewards 
of the English lords, though accustomed to abun- 
dance, were astonished thereat, and confessed that 
they could not conceive by what means twenty or 
twenty-five great dishes for each table could be 
prepared on board the yachts and with the motion 
of the water. 



54 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

" It was the intention of the King to dine when 
he came on board his yacht, and the steward, who 
was on board, in the service of the States of Hol- 
land, had the dinner prepared, but the wind was so 
strong that the Princess Royal, not being able to 
endure the motion of the yacht, was obliged to 
retire, whereupon the King asked the Captain if 
there was no way by which they might come under 
the lee of the land, in order to refresh the Princess, 
but the Captain answered that there was no shelter 
to be found before Dortrecht, where he expected he 
could come by half past one or two in the after- 
noon, so the squadron of yachts got under way and 
all sail was carried in this hope. 

" Nevertheless, it was nearly four o'clock in the 
afternoon when Dortrecht was passed ; the walls 
and quay were full of Burgers, who were placed 
there under arms, and a battery of heavy artillery, 
with which many salutes were given, as well as 
with the musketry, as long as the fleet was passing, 
and also afterwards, as long as the flags of the 
yachts could be seen, which carried the person of 
the King and the whole Royal House." 

The yachts stopped for a short time at Rotter- 
dam, and a picture is here given of the fleet, taken 
from the celebrated painting by Verschuring. No 
reproduction, however, can convey the beauty of 
this picture. The yacht that carried King Charles 
is in the foreground, near the centre of the picture, 
her stern and quarters superbly ornamented with 
sculpture, embellished with gold, blue, orange, 
and red. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 55 

Charles landed at Delft and proceeded to Schev- 
eningen, where he and his numerous attendants 
boarded the fleet, which was to convey them to 
England, and a beautiful state barge was pro- 
vided for the King to go on board the Royal 
Charles, 80 guns. 

The Royal Charles was escorted by a large fleet, 
and the King landed at Dover May 25th. He en- 
tered London May 29, 1660 — his birthday, also — 
" the ways strew'd with flowers, the bells ringing, 
the streets hung with tapestry, and fountains run- 
ning with wine, and 20,000 horse and foot brand- 
ishing their swords and shouting with inexpressible 
joy." 



CHAPTER IV 

EARLY ENGLISH YACHTS 

Pepys's Diary and Naval History — Evelyn's Diary — The yacht Mary — 
First use of the word yacht in Enghsh literature — The King's yacht 
Catherine — Use of lead for ballast — Holland duck for sails — The 
Duke of York's ya.cht Anne — The Dutch yacht £ezan — Progress in 
ship building — Calculating a ship's displacement — The King's inter- 
est in maritime affairs — Yacht race between the King and the Duke of 
York — The Besano, Jamie, Charles, and Experiment — The Royal 
Society and Sir William Petty's inventions — Catamarans — The 
" versatile keel " — Propelling power in a ship, and copying ma- 
chines — Petty's epitaph. 

KING CHARLES appears to have possessed a 
genius for amusing himself ; he is known in 
history as the " Merry Monarch." Fortunately, 
yachting was one of his pleasures, and it seems 
reasonable to suppose that during his exile, some 
seventeen years, and while in Holland, he acquired 
a knowledge of yachts and yachting. The first 
yacht ever known in England as such was the one 
that, as we have seen, was presented to King 
Charles II. before his departure from Holland. In 
due course, she came to England, together with 
her appellation. 

Concerning the yachts of England at that period, 
we are indebted to Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn, 
and the Admiralty and State papers, for nearly all 
our information, but chiefly to Pepys, who was 
Clerk of the Acts, and subsequently Secretary to 

56 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 57 

the Admiralty. These positions gave him the op- 
portunity, which he improved, of understanding 
the building of yachts, their cost, equipment, and 
exploits, all of which he recorded in voluminous 
writing, preserved in Magdalene College, Cam- 
bridge, and which comprise almost all the data 
obtainable concerning maritime affairs in England, 
during the reign of King Charles II. The most 
important manuscripts were those prepared for his 
intended History of the Navy, among which are 
the Admiralty Letters, Naval Presidents, Miscella- 
nies, and Naval Minutes ; but it is in his Z>z«rj/ that 
we know Pepys at his best, with his quaint and 
graphic manner of description, so agreeable, and 
revealing those redeeming human weaknesses, that 
are at once pleasing and consoling to contemplate. 

Samuel Pepys was born in February 23, 1632 ; 
was educated at St. Paul's School, and, afterward, 
at the University of Cambridge. In the register 
book of the College the following entry appears : 
" October 21, 1653. Mem. That Pepys and Hind 
were solemly admonished by himself and Mr. Hill 
for having been scandalously overserved with 
drink ye night before. This was done in the pres- 
ence of all the fellows then resident, in Mr. Hill's 
chamber, (signed) John Wood, Register." Evi- 
dently, Pepys in his undergraduate days, as in after 
life, was a bon vivant. 

Pepys and Evelyn were life-long friends, and 
frequently visited each other. Evelyn records 
under date of September 22, 1700: "I went to 
visit Mr. Pepys at Clapham where he has a very 



58 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

noble and wonderful well-furnished house, es- 
pecially with India and Chinese curiosities. The 
offices and gardens well accommodated for pleasure 
and retirement." 

Pepys rescued a great deal of naval history from 
the records in the Tower, and owned many fine 
models and historical paintings of ships, which he 
collected with good judgment and untiring in- 
dustry. 

John Evelyn, to whom we are also indebted for 
much valuable information, was born at Watton, 
Surrey, October 31, 1620. In 1640 he came to 
London to study law, but soon tired of it, and 
made an extended tour through Holland and Bel- 
gium. His Diary gives an interesting description 
of the yachts of that period. Under date of 
October i, 1641, he writes: "I tooke leave of 
sweete Antwerp, as late as it was, embarquing for 
Bruxelles on the Scheld, in a vessel which de- 
livered us to a second boate (in another river) 
drawn or tow'd by horses. In this passage we 
frequently chang'd our barge, by reason of the 
bridges thwarting our course. Here I observed 
numerous families inhabiting their vessels, and 
floating dwellings, so built and divided by cabins, 
as few houses on land enjoy's better accommo- 
dation, stor'd with all sorts of utensills, neate 
chambers, a pretty parlour, and kept so sweete 
that nothing- could be more refreshing-. The rivers 
on which they are drawne are very clear & still 
waters, and passe through a most pleasant country 
on both the bankes. We had in our boate a very 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 59 

good ordinary and excellent company." On his 
return home Evelyn gives a picture of travelling 
by sea in those days, and records under date of 
October 14, 1641 : " From hence the next day, I 
marched three English miles towards the pack- 
boate, being a pretty fregat of six guns, which 
embarked us for England about three in the after- 
noone. At our going off, the Fort against which 
our pinnace ankered saluted my Lord Marshall 
with twelve greate guns, while we answered with 
three. Not having the wind favourable, we ank- 
ered that night before Calais. About mid-night 
we weighed and at four in the morning, tho' not 
far from Dover, we could not make the peere till 
four in the afternoon, the wind proving contrary 
and driving us Westward ; but at last we got on 
shore Oct. the 12th." 

To the writings of Pepys and Evelyn we are in- 
debted, not only for almost everything known con- 
cerning yachts and yachting at this period, but 
also for the daily lives and customs of the English 
people during this era, which may be regarded as 
the opening years in the history of modern Eng- 
land. It was during the reign of King Charles II., 
and largely through his influence and efforts, that 
England took her first infant steps in scientific 
knowledge as applied to naval architecture. 

On August 15, 1660, Pepys records: "To the 
ofifice, and after dinner by water to White Hall, 
where I found the King gone this morning by five 
of the clock to see a Dutch pleasure-boat below 
bridge where he dines, and my Lord with him, the 



6o THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

King do tire all his people that are about him with 
early rising since he came." 

The Dutch pleasure-boat was the yacht Mary, 
which, as we have seen, was presented to King 
Charles upon his departure from Holland. Pepys 
records the fact as follows : " In the year '60 the 
Dutch gave his Majesty a yacht called the Mary, 
from whence came the improvements of our pres- 
ent yachts ; for until that time we had not heard of 
such a name in England" {Naval Mimites, p. 267). 
Evelyn also writes in his diary under date of Octo- 
ber I, 1661 : "I sailed this morning with his Maj- 
esty in one of his yachts or pleasure-boats, vessels 
not known among us till the Dutch East India 
Company presented that curious piece to the King." 

The dimensions of the Mary were : Length of 
keel, 52 feet; breadth, 19 feet; depth, 7 feet 7 
inches ; draught, 10 feet ; and 100 tons burden. 
The length of keel, or " as she treads the ground," 
is given in all the measurements of yachts at that 
period, to which should be added from ten to fifteen 
per cent, for the length over all. The Mary car- 
ried 8 guns and a crew of 30 men. 

The portrait here reproduced — from an unfin- 
ished drawing in India ink by Jan Beerstraten — is 
of a yacht with the royal arms of England on her 
stern. The artist died in 1666 at Amsterdam, 
where, as we have seen, the Mary was built. It 
seems probable, therefore, that this is her portrait 
before she left Holland. If so, it is the only one 
extant. 

Judging from the people about her deck, the 



-3fi ,rr;3iS larl no bnBljri;: _. ..t,-- 



■. that are about hi 



om H' 

„; Oi. iOiiovVb ; *' In the year oo liie 

lis Majesty a yacht called the Mary 

ime the improvements of our pi i - - 

■;il that had not heard ;' 

1 L-ngland" yl'^uju/. Minutes, -p. 267). 

■',*■■■... '. ^ ',.- -V:. _ : ,..,-). i , ,.-1' ^">.,^Q_ 



• among us \n\ wic iJui jnaia 

Yacht with the .iV.rWSi o£ JEogland ;on.her Stern-, , -Be- 

lieved to be the 4f«^; Presented to King Charles 

II. by the Dutch.' 1(260. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 6i 

length of mast, and the height of freeboard, this 
yacht, answers the description of the Mary as to 
tonnage — ^she also carries 8 guns. Her hull, being 
foreshortened, renders it difficult to form an opinion 
as to her length. The drawing has no date or 
writing upon it, but all the facts tend to warrant 
the belief that this is an unfinished portrait of the 
Mary. 

It is pleasant to reflect upon the fact of the 
young monarch turning out and going down the 
river "by five of the clock" on that August morning 
so long ago, eager to see his new yacht. It is also 
pleasant to know that there are many young 
yachtsmen to-day — and, for that matter, old ones 
too — who would do the same thing, or something 
very much like it ; for what yachtsman has not felt 
a keen pleasure upon seeing his yacht for the first 
time, either building, fitting out, ready for sea, or 
after an absence from her ; a feeling only less joyful 
than would be his delight at meeting the lady of 
his love. 

The A dmiralty Papers record on November 3, 
1660, an "Estimate by Peter Pett of the charges 
of building a new yacht of eighty tons for the 
King at Deptford ; total 1335 pounds sterling." 
This appears to be the first record of the use of the 
word "yacht " in English literature. 

On November 8, 1660, Pepys records that, "In 
the afternoon Commissioner Pett and I went on 
board the yacht (^Mary), which indeed is one of 
the finest thinofs that I ever saw for neatness and 
room in so small a vessel, Mr. Pett is to make one 



62 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

to outdo this for the honour of his country, which 
I fear he will scarce better." And on January 13, 
1661 : "So to the Globe to dinner, and then 
with Commissioner Pett to his lodging there, 
which he had for the present to be near his im- 
portant business while he is building the King's 
yacht, which will be a pretty thing, and beyond the 
Dutchman." And on January 15th: " The King 
hath been this afternoon to Deptford to see the 
yacht which Commissioner Pett is building, which 
will be very pretty, as also that his brother at 
Woolwich is making." 

The yacht at Woolwich was being built by 
Christopher Pett, who was ten years younger than 
his brother, Commissioner Peter Pett. On De- 
cember 19, 1660, Christopher Pett complains to 
the Board of Naval Commissioners, that he "has 
no timber for his Highness' pleasure yacht." And 
again on the 28th that he " wants planks for 
his Highness' pleasure yacht : purveyor should be 
quickened." And on February 4, 1661, he appears 
to be getting somewhat uneasy about his sails, and 
dictates to the Naval Commissioners exactly what 
he requires, as follows : " Holland duck is the 
best canvas for sails for the Duke of York's pleas- 
ure yacht now building, the same as is to be 
bought for the King's new yacht now at Deptford." 

The zealous master-shipwright, Christopher Pett, 
was no doubt greatly delayed and annoyed in 
many ways through the jealousy of his brother 
the Commissioner. This can be traced in the 
official records ; and Pepys also refers to this 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 63 

matter. Christopher Pett, sorely vexed, on March 
28, 1 66 1, writes to the Commissioners that he 
wishes " the workmen-carvers Thomas Eaton and 
Richard Swain severely punished for contempt ; 
they know the great necessity there is for them, 
and that the vessel cannot be finished at the time 
prefixed." However, on April 12th, the Duke of 
York orders the yacht launched, " though the 
joiners and carvers are not completed." The 
King's yacht also was launched about the same 
time. 

On May 12, 1661, Christopher Pett makes the 
following requisition upon the Navy Commis- 
sioners : " Six tons of old shot from the Tower 
for ballast for the Duke of York's yacht, and hurry 
the lead for ballast." 

The italics are mine, but the shot and lead bal- 
last were Christopher Pett's nearly two centuries 
and a half ago. When, therefore, we reflect that 
well into the last century, crack racing-yachts in 
England and America were ballasted with pig iron 
and iron ore, and in 1851 the Atnerica had iron 
ballast moulded to fit her floors and frames — at 
that time an extravagant novelty — and that only of 
late years lead ballast has come into general use as 
a modern improvement, we may well be cautious 
in accepting anything as new. It is interesting 
also to note Christopher Pett's anxiety with regard 
to the quality of canvas for the sails of the new 
yacht ; also that he knew just what kind of canvas 
the rival yacht was to have. Indeed, all of his 
communications to the Naval Commissioners read 



64 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

strangely modern ; showing, too, that though yachts 
have changed, human nature has remained pretty 
much as it was. And while we sympathize with 
Christopher Pett in his annoyance and delay in ob- 
taining what he required from the Commissioners, 
it was still fortunate ; otherwise, these interesting 
details would, like so many others, be lost in 
oblivion. 

One of the new yachts was the Catherine, built 
for King Charles by Commissioner Peter Pett at 
Deptford, and named for the Queen. Length of 
keel, 49 feet ; breadth, 1 9 feet ; depth, 7 feet ; 
draught, 7 feet ; 94 tons burden. The other yacht 
was the Anne, built by Christopher Pett at Wool- 
wich, for the King's brother William, Duke of 
York, and named for the Duchess of York. 
Length of keel, 52 feet ; breadth, 19 feet ; depth, 7 
feet; draught, 7 feet; 100 tons burden. Each of 
these yachts carried 8 guns and a crew of 30 men. 

By comparing the dimensions, it will be seen 
that the new yachts were close copies of the Mary. 
The Catherine was three feet shorter on the keel, 
but may have been the same length on the water- 
line, as her beam was the same, with 7 inches less 
depth of hold ; while the Anne was the same length 
on the keel, and the same beam, with 7 inches less 
depth of hold. Both latter yachts, however, drew 
3 feet less water, which is difficult to explain. 
The Mary was certainly fitted with lee-boards, and 
if the draught of these yachts were reversed, we 
might suppose that the Petts had abandoned the 
lee-boards in favor of a deeper hull, but the Mary 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 65 

had by 3 feet the greater draught, with only 7 
inches more depth of hold. 

And so yacht-building in England began in a 
truly characteristic English way. The yachts were 
built by brothers for brothers, and were named for 
the wives of their owners ; and we find that the sa- 
gacious Pepys, on his first examination of the 
Mary, had a fear that the yacht to be built by 
Commissioner Pett, " for the honour of his coun- 
try," would "scarce better" her. However, the 
dinner at the Globe with the Commissioner, and a 
visit to the new yacht, removed this fear, and made 
him hopeful, so that he is able to record his opinion 
that she will prove " beyond the Dutchman." This 
is by no means a solitary instance in English his- 
tory of a dinner — provided it be a good one — in- 
spiring hope and even confidence. 

May 2ist, Pepys writes : "So took barge again 
and were overtaken by the King in his barge, he 
having been down the river with his yacht this day 
for pleasure to try it, and as I hear, Commissioner 
Pett's do prove better than the Dutch one, and 
that his brother built." It now begins to appear 
evident that the dinner at the Globe must have 
been an excellent one. 

Still, after this trial trip, and probably others, and 
notwithstanding the flattering accounts chronicled 
by Pepys, the King, who had a very good idea 
of what a yacht ought to be, was by no means 
satisfied with the new yacht's performance. On 
June 4th Commissioner Pett's troubles began ; for 
on that date the King required new sails, and 



66 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

requested the Commissioners to " bargain for the 
cloth and order the putting of them in hand." On 
the following day Commissioner Pett repeated the 
order from the Chatham dockyard as follows : 
" New sails and four tons of musket shot required 
for ballast for the king's new yacht." 

A whole new suit of sails within two months 
after launching ! This appears decidedly modern, 
especially when we remember that up to the last 
quarter of the nineteenth century a racing-yacht's 
sails were supposed to last three seasons. It is 
only indeed of late years that racing-yachts have 
had a new suit of sails each season ; although, for 
the America's Cup contests, yachts during the last 
decade have been provided with almost as many 
spare racing-sails as a Newport belle is provided 
with frocks. 

The fleet had another addition this year in the 
Bezan, a small yacht ; length of keel, 34 feet ; 
breadth, 14 feet; depth, 7 feet; draught, 3 feet 6 
inches ; she came from Holland and was given to 
the King by the Dutch, but exactly by whom, is 
not recorded. 

June 13th, Pepys relates that "with my Lord 
Sandwich visited the Deptford dockyard and went 
aboard the Dutch yacht, by and by we came to 
Greenwich and thinking to have gone on the 
King's yacht, the King was in her, so we passed 
by, and at Woolwich went on shore, I home and 
with wine enough in my head." 

At this time it appears that the King was pro- 
viding himself with pleasure-craft for all occasions, 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 67 

as Pepys mentions under date of September 12th : 
" In my way upon the Thames, I saw the King's 
new pleasure-boat that is come now for the King 
to take pleasure in above bridge ; and also two 
Gundaloes that are lately bought, which are very 
rich and fine." 

September 14th, Sir R. Slingsby made up a 
barge-party of ladies and gentlemen, including 
Pepys and his wife, and took them to see the 
yachts of the King and the Duke. Pepys records 
that they had "great pleasure in seeing all four 
yachts — these two and the Dutch ones." That is, 
this little fleet was composed of the King's new 
yacht Catherine, the Duke of York's new yacht 
Anne, and the King's Dutch yachts Mary and 
Bezan. And this is the first record of a squadron 
of yachts in England. 

The King and Duke of York were wholly dif- 
ferent in temperament, as brothers frequently are. 
Charles appears to have been a man of unusual 
intelligence and ability, good-natured and gener- 
ous ; regarding things in general, and particularly 
human nature, as problems not to be taken too 
seriously or from which much could be expected. 
In a proper light, he viewed them rather as subjects 
from which much amusement might be derived. 
He was a man of refined tastes, who exerted 
himself toward introducing art and science into 
England. Flattery he detested. Once, also, he 
declared to Bishop Burnett that he looked upon 
" falsehood and cruelty as the greatest crimes in the 
sight of God." 



68 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Having a natural taste and liking for vessels, it 
almost follows that Charles was fond of beinof on 
the water. He possessed also an exceedingly good 
knowledge of ships. And all historians concur 
in the fact that he had a strong inclination for 
philosophical pursuits and mechanics, and that 
at any time, in any place, with any person, he 
would discourse upon his favorite hobby — naval 
affairs and shipbuilding. " It was his only pleas- 
ure," said the Duke of Buckingham. Indeed, 
during the early part of the reign of Charles, two- 
thirds of the money granted him by Parliament 
was expended upon his Navy. Furthermore, ac- 
cording to Pepys, " he possessed a transcendent 
mastery of all maritime knowledge," and "two 
leagues' travel at sea was more pleasure to him 
than twenty by land." It is also recorded that the 
King "usually attended the launching of a new 
ship, the day being specially arranged to suit his 
convenience ; and that he was accustomed to visit 
the dockyards on other occasions also." We find 
him desiring " for his own satisfaction and use to 
have an account of the Just Rake of all the upright- 
stemmed ships in his Royal Navy, and the present 
seat of each ship's main mast." He also was much 
interested in establishing the Royal Philosophical 
Society, to which he presented Irish lands, — in- 
tended as a substantial gift. 

We must remember that shipbuilding then was 
believed to descend from father to son in some 
occult manner. In this respect the family of Petts 
was thought to be especially favored. Peter 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 69 

and Christopher, as already noted, held good dock- 
yard positions, and were descended from one Pett 
who had been master-shipwright at Deptford in the 
reign of Edward VI. Their cousin, Joseph Pett, 
also was master-shipwright at Chatham ; another 
cousin, Richard Holborne, was master-mastmaker ; 
and a brother, Phineas, Master of the Shipwright's 
Company. These men, no doubt, were good, 
practical shipbuilders ; innocent, however, of any 
mathematical knowledge, yet supposed to possess 
the "art or mystery," which they were always 
bound by indentures to impart to their apprentices. 

Their envious contemporaries called them the 
" indestructible Petts " ; but they gallantly kept on 
serving their country, sticking to their posts like 
South-Sea barnacles. 

King Charles had a bent for natural science, and, 
by his own efforts, — and more by encouraging 
others, — did much to dispel the " art or mystery " 
superstition relative to shipbuilding. It was dur- 
ing his reign that Sir Anthony Deane first cal- 
culated a vessel's displacement, thus described 
by Pepys, under date of May 19, 1666 : 

" Mr. Deane and I did discourse about his ship 
Rupert, built by him there, which succeeds so well 
that he hath got great honor by it, and I have 
some by recommending him ; the King, Duke, and 
everybody saying it is the best ship that was ever 
built ; and then he fell to explain to me his manner 
of casting the draught of water which a ship will 
draw beforehand ; which is a secret the King and 
all admire in him ; and he is the first that hath 



■JO THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

come to any certainty beforehand foretelling the 
draught of water of a ship before she be launched." 
This was the first step, and an important one, in 
the science of shipbuilding. 

If it be a fact that only a humorist is able to 
enjoy hearing his own follies satirized, then Charles 
was a true humorist. To illustrate briefly : One 
day he requested his witty favorite, the Earl of 
Rochester, to compose his epitaph, and this is the 
result : 

" Here lies our Sovereign lord and King 
Whose word no man relied on. 
Who never said a foolish thing 
And never did a wise one." 

With his usual good humor Charles laug-hed 
heartily upon reading it. He deemed it an excel- 
lent joke. He remarked, however, that " The 
matter was easily accounted for, as his discourse 
was his own, his actions his ministry's." 

James was a man who, to put it mildly, was self- 
contained ; who took himself and everything about 
him quite seriously. Moreover, he does not appear 
to have had any of the brilliant and attractive men- 
tal qualities possessed by his brother. Some de- 
cidedly amusing stories are related that tend to 
illustrate the relationship existing between them : 
One of them is : One morning, after taking two or 
three turns in St. James Park, the King, attended 
only by the Duke of Leeds and Lord Cromarty, 
strolled up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park. 
While they were crossing the road where Apsley 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 71 

House now stands, the Duke of York, who had 
been hunting that morning on Hounslow Heath, 
was seen returning in his coach, escorted by a party 
of the guards. As soon as they recognized the 
King, they suddenly halted and stopped the coach ; 
the Duke of York saluted his brother, and said, 
he was greatly surprised to find his Majesty in that 
place with so small an attendance, and he thought 
his Majesty exposed himself to much danger. 
" No kind of danger, James," replied Charles ; " for 
I am sure no man in England will take away my 
life to make you King." In his old age, Lord 
Cromarty was fond of relating this anecdote to his 
friends. 

At another time, alluding to the amours of the 
Duke of York and to the plain looks of his favorites, 
Charles remarked that "he believed his brother 
had his mistresses given him by his priests for 
penance." 

Still, these brothers managed to get on fairly 
well, the one bond of sympathy between them 
seeming to have been their fondness for the sea 
and for maritime affairs. The new yachts gave 
them an opportunity for fraternal rivalry also, and 
excitement no doubt ran high in Court-circles and 
along the banks of the Thames when it became 
known that the royal brothers had made a match 
to sail their yachts for a wager of ;^ioo. This 
classic event in yachting history is thus described 
by Evelyn : 

"October i, 1661. I had sailed this morning 
with his Majesty in one of the yachts, or pleasure- 



72 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

boats, vessels not known among us till the Dutch 
East India Company presented that curious piece 
to the King ; being very excellent sailing vessels. 
It was on a wager between his other new pleasure- 
boat — built frigate-like — and one of the Duke of 
York's; the wager loo pounds sterling; the race 
from Greenwich to Gravesend and back. The 
King lost in going, the wind being contrary, but 
saved stakes in returning. There were divers 
noble persons and Lords on board, his Majesty 
sometimes steering himself. His barge and 
kitchen-boat attended. I brake fast this morning 
with the King at return in his smaller vessel, he 
being pleased to take me and only four more, 
who were noblemen, with him ; but dined in his 
yacht where we ate together with his Majesty." 

That is the only known account of the race ; and 
it is by no means clear or satisfactory. The Ency- 
clopaedia Britannica (ninth edition) states that " In 
that year (1662) the Jamie was matched for ^100 
against a small Dutch yacht, under the Duke of 
York, from Greenwich to Gravesend and back, and 
beat her, the King steering part of the time — ap- 
parently, the first record of a yacht match and of 
amateur helmsmen." 

This must be an error, as the only match sailed 
at that period of which any record appears, was in 
1 66 1, as stated by Evelyn. There can be no 
doubt that "his (the King's) other new pleasure- 
boat, built frigate-like," was the Katherine, the 
only other new pleasure-boats being the Bezan and 
the boat that Pepys records having seen going up 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING Ti 

the river ; but they were not built frigate-Hke, and 
the Mary at that time was not new. The Duke 
of York had only one yacht, the Anne ; so it is dif- 
ficult to understand how the Jamie could have 
sailed a match in 1661. She was not even 
launched, as we shall presently see, until 1662 ; 
hence, there can be no question that this first 
yacht race was sailed between the Katherine and 
the Anne. 

" The King lost in going, the wind being con- 
trary, but saved stakes in returning." This is 
rather vague, and leaves us in doubt as to who 
really won the match. If the King won, it would 
have been natural for Evelyn to say that he 
"gained " or "won " stakes in returning. How he 
could have "saved" stakes is hard to imagine, unless 
the match was arranged to be sailed first from 
Greenwich to Gravesend, and then to make a fresh 
start from Gravesend to Greenwich, in which case 
the match may have been called off at Gravesend. 
The King, satisfied that the Anne was the faster 
yacht, may, in this way have "saved" stakes. How 
he could have done so otherwise, it is difficult to 
understand. 

And there is one significant fact in connection 
with this match. Pepys nowhere makes mention 
of it. Accordingly, the only reasonable suppo- 
sition of his silence seems to be that the yacht of 
his friend the Commissioner, who had built her 
" for the honour of his country," and from which 
Pepys, — after the dinner, — had expected so much, 
had suffered a humiliating defeat, Pepys therefore 



74 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

preferring to ignore the whole matter. For he 
certainly must have known of this match ; and 
probably saw it. It was also, no doubt, a subject 
of general gossip at the Court, and about every 
London inn and tavern. 

Evelyn sailed with the King. Therefore, it is 
within bounds to suppose that both he and Pepys 
hoped and expected that the King's yacht would be 
successful. Hence, if she had won, we should 
probably have heard of it ; for no two men in Eng- 
land were better qualified to express their ideas in 
a manner not to be misunderstood. 

"His barge and kitchen-boat attended" is a 
phrase that calls to mind the energetic tug and 
patient tender attached to racing-yachts of the pre- 
sent, and is the one slender thread that connects 
this ancient racing-yacht with her young and 
beautiful sisters of to-day. 

Early in 1662 the accounts for "adorning, carv- 
ing, gilding, and painting" the King's new yachts 
appear in the records. Sir Robert Howard was 
paid on January 6th " three hundred pounds ster- 
ling for painting and adorning the King's yacht " ; 
and on February 8th, four hundred and fifty pounds 
sterling was paid for similar work on another royal 
yacht. On March 5th, Christopher Pett writes to 
the Navy Commissioners that "Mr. Walker will 
gild and adorn the King's new ^^j-^??^ yacht for one 
hundred and sixty pounds sterling." Now, at that 
time, carvers, gilders, and painters were paid two 
shillings and six pence per day, which rate — allow- 
ing for material and a contractor's profit of ten per 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 75 

cent. — gives an idea of the extent to which the 
embellishment of yachts was carried in the days of 
King Charles II. 

In 1662 two small yachts were added to the fleet: 
the Jamie, built at Lambeth; length of keel, 31 feet; 
breadth, 12 feet 6 inches; depth 6 feet; draught, 3 
feet 6 inches; 25 tons burden; and the Charles, 
built at Woolwich by Christopher Pett; length of 
keel, 36 feet; breadth, 14 feet 2 inches; depth, 7 
feet; draught, 6 feet; 38 tons burden. The Jamie 
carried a crew of four men and four guns, the 
Charles a crew of ten men and six guns. 

The accounts of the cost of yachts at this period, 
filed with the Admiralty, are of interest. The 
records of September 8, 1662, show that Christo- 
pher Pett's charges for building the Charles were 
;^722.i.5., and for the Duke of York's Anne, built 
the year before, ;^i 8 15.2.4. 

July 4, 1662, Pepys studies mathematics and 
"begins with the multiplication table." And on 
August nth master-shipwright Deane promises to 
enlighten him concerning the details of shipbuild- 
ing. And no doubt he did so. However, on July 
12, 1663, Pepys encounters the "mystery" of the 
art at Chatham; for on that date, he records as fol- 
lows: " Commissioner Pett showed me alone his 
bodies (draughts) as a secret, which I found after- 
wards by discourse with Sir J. Minnes, that he had 
shown them to him, wherein he seems to suppose 
great mystery in the nature of lines to be hid, but I 
do not understand it at all. Commissioner Pett is a 
man of words," and the like. 



76 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Pepys evidently resents the attempt of Commis- 
sioner Pett to impose upon his creduhty, and a 
coolness is afterwards noticeable in Pepys's allusions 
to the Commissioner. It culminates in 1667, when 
he does not scruple to stigmatize Pett as " a rogue," 
" a fawning rogue," "a knave," and in other terms 
of disapproval. It is probable that Sir Anthony 
Deane really taught Pepys a good deal about 
shipbuilding. If so, it is indeed fortunate, as 
Pepys's writings are of value from his knowledge 
thereof. 

While visiting Lambeth, August 13, 1662, Pepys 
mentions that he saw "the little pleasure-boat in 
building by the King, my Lord Brouncker, and the 
virtuosoes of the town, according to new lines, 
which Mr. Peter Pett cries up mightily;, but how 
it will prove we shall soon see." 

He did not remain in doubt very long; for, on 
September 5th, while on one of his ofificial pleasure 
trips on the river, Pepys saw this new yacht, the 
Jaynie, " set out from Greenwich, with the little 
Dutch Bezan, to try for mastery ; and before they 
got to Woolwich the Dutch beat them half a mile ; 
and I hear that in coming home it got above three 
miles ; which all our people are glad of." 

By " our people " Pepys meant the ofificials at the 
Admiralty Ofifice. No doubt they were disturbed 
by outsiders interfering in business that they 
deemed belonged strictly to the regular Naval 
Board, as did also the building of all vessels for the 
King in time of peace. Therefore, the report of 
the discomfiture of "the virtuosoes," through their 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 77 

presumption in attempting the "art or mystery " of 
yacht-building, was pleasant to them. 

December 22, 1662, Pepys writes : "I went to 
the launching of a new ship with two bottoms in- 
vented by Sir William Petty, on which were 
various opinions : his Majesty being present gave 
her the name of The Experiment." Pepys further 
writes of this vessel, under date of July 13, 1663 : 
" Mr. Grant showed me letters of Sir William 
Petty's wherein he says, that this vessel which he 
hath built upon two keels, (a model where of, 
built for the King, he showed me) hath this month 
won a wager of ;^50 in sailing between Dublin and 
Holyhead with the pacquett-boat, the best ship 
or vessel the King hath there ; and he offers to lay 
with any vessel in the world. It is about 30 tons 
burden, and carries 30 men, with good accommoda- 
tion (as much more as any ship of her burden), 
and so any vessel of this figure shall carry more 
men, with better accommodation by half, than any 
other ship. This carries also ten guns, of about 
five tons weiofht. In their comings back from 
Holyhead they started together, and this vessel 
come to Dublin by five at night, and the pacquett- 
boat not before eight the next morning ; and when 
they come they did believe this vessel had been 
drowned, or at least behind, not thinking she could 
have lived in that sea. Strange things are told of 
this vessel." Petty concludes his letter with this 
remark : "I only affirm that the perfection of 
sayling lies in my principle, finde it out who 
can." 



78 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

This is the first record of an ocean-race, and we 
all know that the waters between Dublin and 
Holyhead, in a gale of wind, are a severe test of 
any vessel's qualities as a sea-boat. 

That she was "built upon two keels" is at first 
sight somewhat confusing. We remember, how- 
ever, that the Saxons made their descent on Britain 
in boats covered with leather that they called 
" caele," from which is derived the English word 
"keel," — a boat or barge used in the north of 
England, — carrying 21 ton 4 cwt. or a "keel 
of coals." It is probable that Petty may have 
taken two of these keels, and connected them, or 
he may have constructed two new keels for this 
purpose. 

Pepys again writes "January 22nd, 1664: To 
Deptford, and there viewed Sir W. Petty's vessel ; 
which hath an odd appearance, but not such as 
people do make of it " ; and February ist : " Thence 
to White Hall ; where, in the Duke's chamber, the 
King come and stayed an hour or two laughing at 
Sir W. Petty, who was there about his boat ; and 
at Gresham College in general ; at which poor 
Petty was, I perceive, at some loss ; but did argue 
discreetly, and bear the unreasonable follies of the 
King's objections, and other bystanders, with great 
discretion ; and offered to make oddes against the 
King's best boates ; but the King would not lay, 
but cried him down with words only." 

It does not appear that the Experiment ever 
raced again. Eventually she was lost with all 
hands, during a violent gale in the Bay of Biscay. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 79 

Several other vessels were wrecked at that time 
also. To this Evelyn thus refers, under date of 
March 22, 1675: " Sir William, amongst other in- 
vitations, was author of the double bottom's ship, 
which the' it perished and he was censured for 
rashnesse, being lost in the Bay of Biscay in a 
storm, when, I think, 15 other vessels miscarried. 
The vessel was flat-bottomed, of exceeding use to 
put into shallow ports, and ride over small depths 
of water. It consisted of two distinct keeles crampt 
(clamped) together with huge timbers, etc., so as 
that a violent streame ran between. It bear a 
monstrous broad saile, and he still persists that it 
is practicable and of exceeding use ; and he had 
often told me that he would adventure himself in 
such another, could he procure sailors, and his 
Majesty's permission to make a second Experiment, 
which name the King gave it at the launching." 

About the year 1646, the Royal Society was 
formed. It was composed of " divers worthy per- 
sons, inquisitive into natural philosophy, and other 
parts of human learning." It met once a week ; 
sometimes at Dr. Goddard's lodgings in Wood 
Street, London, or at the Bull Head Tavern, 
Cheapside ; more often, however, at Gresham 
College. This is not only the oldest scientific 
society in Great Britain, but one of the oldest in 
Europe, being founded in 1660, and incorporated 
August 13, 1662, as recorded by Evelyn under 
that date : " Our Charter being now passed un- 
der the broad seal constituting us a corporation 
under the name of The Royal Society for the 



8o THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

improvement of natural knowledge by Experiment, 
was this day read, and was all that was done this 
afternoon, being very large." 

Sir William Petty was also the inventor of 
the " double boat." This idea, together with 
that of the " double bottom's ship," was probably 
borrowed from some early navigator who had ob- 
served the swift catamaran among the islands of 
the Pacific. At all events, Sir William built the 
first craft of this kind in Europe, an illustration 
of which is here given from the records of the 
Royal Society, which furnished the first Regatta 
Committee. 

It is notable that the first open sailing-match in 
the United Kingdom, so far as any record ap- 
pears, was sailed under the auspices of the Royal 
Society. The season opened early, and the 
match was sailed on Twelfth day in Januar}^ 1663. 
Here is the report as it appears in the Society's 
records : 

"The report of the Committee appointed No- 
vember, 26th, 1662, to examine and give in an 
account of the matter concerning the Structure 
and sailing of Sir William Petty's new ship was 
read and resfistered as follows : 

" They had before them, the draught herewith 
sent, an exact model of about 2^ feet long of the 
said present vessel ; whereupon m.ost of the com- 
pany, and especially the seamen, made several 
objections concerning her strength and otherwise ; 
but declaring their judgment that they saw in 
her the causes of outsailing anything in use, and 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 8i 

were satisfied by their own observations of her keep- 
ing a good wind, feeUng her helm, staying well, 
round and quick, without loosing way. The chief 
objections were these which follow: ist. The 
danger of divulsion and separation of the two 
cylinders, by the irruition of the water ; for as 
much as the same is received by two heads, which 
stand diverging as in the wind end of a tunnel. 
2nd : The falling in of the water between the two 
heads obliquely. 3rd : The danger of being over 
run, and submerged by a head sea, the vessel sail- 
ing swiftly against it, especially when her stern is 
raised, and consequently the head depressed in a 
wave. 4th : The danger of her platform being 
blown up, either with the rising of the sea between 
the cylinders, or rather by the seas coming in by 
her broad windward side, and cuffing her under the 
platform. 

"We might here insert the report that several 
of the gentlemen then present made of this vessel's 
sailing upon several occasions ; as that it had out- 
sailed several good vessels half in half in stiff winds 
and grown seas, thwart tides, and that it steered 
and sailed extraordinary well. But the company, 
for the fuller satisfaction both of themselves and 
the Royal Society that intrusted them, caused a 
flag to be made, and offered it to any that could 
win it at a sailing to be made for that purpose on 
Twelfth day, and committed to the seamen and 
shipwrights to give general notice thereof through- 
out the harbor ; of which contest be pleased to take 
the following account " : 



82 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

"Dublin, January 9, 1663. 

" To the President of the Society, 

Lord Brouncker. 
" My Lord : 

"In obedience to an order of the Royal Society, 
dated the 28th of November last, appointing us to 
consider and report the Structure and Sailing of 
Sir William Petty's double bottomed ship, we have 
proceeded as followeth, viz. 

" The members of the society meeting did, in the 
first place, issue an order that as many ingenious 
gentlemen, especially such as had been most con- 
versant in naval affairs, who were in and near this 
town, together with the chief shipwrights and sea- 
men of this place, should be desired to meet and 
confer about the premises, which accordingly was 
done ; and there was an appearance of the several 
persons undernamed, viz : 



The Lord Massareene, 
Sir Anthony Morgan, 
Dr. Peter Pett, 
Mr. Southwall, and 
Sir William Petty, himself. 



Of the Society. 



Together with Dr. Woods, Mr. Muschamp, Mr. 
Tucker, Mr. Armory, Mr. Pierson, Mr. Taylor, 
Mr. Lancelot, Capt. Samuel Molyneux, Capt. 
Webbe, Capt. doner, Mr. Bathurst, Mr. Fitz- 
gerald, Mr. Osberne, and Mr. William Pett, mas- 
ter shipwright. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 83 

" My Lord : 

" We have sent the relation less whole than it 
might have been to avail ourselves of the oppor- 
tunity by Sir Maurice Berkley ; however as to 
the truth of all passages we hereunto subscribe. 
(Signed by order) 

" Massareene." 



" Report of the Sailing of Sir William Pet- 
ty's Ship on Twelfth Day. 

"Dublin, January 14, 1663. 

" My Lord : 

" We could not think of better expedient to call 
together all such who were conversant with boats 
and the water, than on a holiday to propose a 
match and to make a free offering (without any 
danger or loss on their side) of a flag of silk, 
charged with a gilded harp, and in a wreath 
of laurel above, and in a scroll beneath, this 
inscription, 

'premium regalis societas velocioris.' 

and this to be given to any boat that should out- 
sail Sir William Petty 's vessel in such course as 
should be set. The prize being published and the 
day come, the only boats that would adventure for 
this reward, and for the day, were but three, for 
all the rest judged in vain to contest when these 
three did appear, and as we do believe them the 
prime ones which this place does afford, so had 



84 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

they amongst them the two advantages of fabric ; 
for it lies in the Shipwright's skill, to make a 
boat do well in her course before the wind ; or to 
alter that shape and make her a good sailer by the 
wind. But both these advantages they cannot 
in perfection unite in one ; the first requiring only 
a shallow floating in the water, and the other for 
being windward, a good deep rooting in it ; yet 
both these advantages Sir William affirmed to be 
in his ship. 

" The Company being in great numbers as- 
sembled, the mark for goal was agreed on by the 
parties concerned, which was a ship that rid at 
anchor about two miles below the haven. The 
flag of reward was pitched on a pole at the start- 
ing place, and to be given to the boat that first 
sailed round the Ship, and returned against the 
wind, bade to take it down. It was then tide of 
flood, and the wind blew very hard, and that in 
sudden broken flaws as they term it. 

" The three boats were, one of them the King's 
barge ; another, a large black pleasure-boat laden 
with two tons of ballast, and the third a man-a'- 
war's boat belonging to Captain Darcy. 

" At the sign given they all hoisted sail, and they 
got the start of Sir William's and Darcy's boat and 
kept it by half a score of lengths, until such time as 
Sir William's was settled in her course and the men 
had done running up and down, but then she soon 
passed them by, and come to the ship near one 
tenth part of the way before her ; so that the tack- 
ing round, and taking a great stretch back into the 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 85 

wind out toward the right hand, he could easily per- 
ceive that Darcy's boat, which also turned round 
the ship some time after her, was clearly baffled by 
the wind ; she not being able to bear up, nor do 
any thing against the wind, although she had done 
very well before it ; but her shape of build would 
not permit this, and therefore they had by way of 
stratagem, taken two empty barrels aboard them, 
with design to take in ballast at sea, and to fill 
these up as soon as they came to work against the 
wind, yet notwithstanding, they did so ill, as they 
had near two miles to turn, when Sir William's 
vessel did arrive. 

" We shall now tell your lordship the adventures 
of the black boat and the barge ; these two not 
being shaped to sail with advantage before the 
wind, were half a mile behind when Sir William's 
vessel turned round the ship ; and therefore seeing 
how much she was already on her return, they very 
fairly, not going unto the mark, tacked about ; and 
the black boat performed now much better than 
before. Yet however by the ill play she turned 
too short, Sir William's now would needs try it 
with her still ; and truly she sculed up and came 
near the wind, as that by these following misfor- 
tunes, she cameth to get before them. Sir William's 
men, for want of dexterity to shift their sails, 
stopped twice in the wind, and ran back near a 
quarter of a mile, in one of which errors, one of her 
rudders was broken, she also grated twice on the 
shoal ground, and by reason of the sudden flaws of 
wind, the sheet of the mainsail did sometimes break 



86 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

loose ; and the men were yet confounded (in this 
new way) in the names of the ropes. 

" By these disadvantages, the black boat got to 
tack about before her, whereof she was so proud, 
as that making too daringly in the eye of the wind, 
the violence of it snapped off their boom by the 
board, and so the cylinders soon passed her by 
leaving her to make a pole with the part broken, 
which helped them to get home by setting. 

" As for the barge she was so distressed by too 
much wind, and the disorder of her sails did entan- 
gle her, so that Darcy's boat, that sailed out the 
full course, was at a great distance off, laboring in 
the wind. The barge was near half a mile short, 
and the black boat could sail no more. 

" So that the Preemium was taken down by Sir 
William Petty's men ; and now they bear it in the 
main top as Admiral of the Cylinders. 

" This is a true state of the day's expedition ; for 
the better knowledge of which Mr. Soutwall did 
then, at the match, sail in her, and does report, 
that for strength of her contexture, he never did 
perceive the first tendence to a divulsion of the 
cylinders, but that, on the contrary, the waves that 
rose up big and strong, fell mostly on them, for 
their rounded shapes made all the force slide away 
on each side, so as not to make the least contusion 
or balsery, and he says, that the objection of her 
being wind-taught lies much more strongly against 
her ; but for this Sir William avouches a perfect 
remedy, and that greater vessels shall be less 
subject to it than small ones. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 87 

" As for sailing against the wind she does it ex- 
tremely well, she stops well at a tack; she makes 
way as she looks without sliding down the wind; 
and come within less than five points of the 
compass, some say very much less. 

" And all this we have observed in this present 
fabric of the first trial in the build; and which the 
men that sail in her offer to go where any vessel of 
double their burden dare venture, she being a ton 
and three quarters. 

" And they make another offer, that even in the 
winter, with a month's warning, they will give out 
twenty pieces (of gold) here to receive an hundred 
at their return from Holyland, and that no man 
may urge the scruple of venturing men's lives. Sir 
William saith that another vessel shall go out 
with them; and if by the way they at any time call 
to her for aid, the wager shall be acknowledged 
lost. 
" My Lord: 

" Since ours of the 5th instant, we have made 
the above mentioned experiment, and do attend the 
truth thereof. 

" Signed by order 

"Massareene." 

" After reading this report Mr. Grant observed 
that he had received a letter of a further date 
than that, which contained the above mentioned re- 
port; and that in this letter Sir Wm. Petty mentions 
that he had so altered his vessel since, that it would 
now bear 720 square feet of sail, whereas it carried 
but 600 before." 



88 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The foregoing particulars are taken from the 
History of the Royal Society, by Thomas Birch, 
D.D., pubHshed in 1756. It is interesting to note 
that the objections raised by " most of the company 
and especially the seamen " to this first catamaran, 
are those that experience has confirmed, and that 
accordingly debar these swift vessels from contend- 
ing in modern sailing-matches. The use of the 
word " match " in describing the first contest be- 
tween more than two vessels is also of interest, 
showing as it does that the term was then intro- 
duced which continues in England to the present 
day — as applied to yachts ; also — since " by way of 
strategem " they had " taken two empty barrels 
aboard them with design to take in ballast at sea, 
and to fill these up as soon as they came to work 
against the wind " — that the idea of water for 
shifting ballast, introduced on board of yachts about 
the middle of the last century, was by no means a 
modern device. 

Petty built several " double bottomes ships," and 
experimented in other directions. Evelyn records, 
under November 30, 1661, "At the Royal Society 
Sir William Petty proposed divers things for the 
improvement of Shipping, a versatile keel that 
should be on hinges, and concerning sheathing ships 
with thin lead." The " versatile keel " points to the 
centre-board, but there appears to be no record at 
that time of its being applied, although the lee- 
boards of the yachts from Holland had attracted 
attention. 

Sir William Petty was born at Rumsey, a small 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 89 

town in Hampshire, in 1623. When quite young 
he was apprenticed to a sea captain; and he followed 
the sea until near-sightedness compelled him to give 
it up. He then studied medicine at Leyden and 
at Paris. In 1644 he returned to England, and 
continued his studies at Oxford, where he was 
graduated as Doctor of Physics. In 1652 he was 
appointed Physician-General of the Armyin Ireland. 
Here he added greatly to his reputation and for- 
tune. He was one of the founders of the Royal 
Society; and, furthermore, he had — the records 
show — at one time no less than sixty-three mis- 
cellaneous experiments to be prosecuted by the 
Society. One of them was " to fix an engine (ma- 
chine) with propelling power in a ship." He also 
invented the "double writing," or copying machine. 
The double-bottomed ship, however, was his favor 
ite invention. In 1684 — as the records of the 
Royal Society show — he sent a challenge to Sir 
Anthony Deane — at that time the leading naval 
constructor in England — embracing some fifteen 
propositions " wherein are effected the virtues of 
the sluice-bottomed vessel beyond any vessel of 
common make." He closes his letter by saying 
that he intends " to spend his life in examining the 
greatest and noblest of all machines — a ship." 

Sir William presented a model of one of his ves- 
sels to the i-^oyal Society, and another to Gresham 
College, both being still preserved. In 1665 he 
communicated a discourse about the building of 
ships to the Royal Society, containing some curious 
secrets concerning the "art or mystery." This 



90 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

paper was taken away by Lord Broucnker, who 
kept it in his possession, saying, that " it was too 
great an arcanum of State to be commonly perused." 
He also wrote a treatise on Naval Philosophy, in 
three parts, and at the end, as an appendix, " An 
account of several new Inventions, in a discourse 
by way of letter to the Earl of Marlborough," pub- 
lished in 1 69 1 ; and he drew up the 198th Number 
of the Philosophical Transactions, entitled " What 
a complete Treatise of Navigation should contain." 
He died in his sixty-fifth year, December 16, 1687, 
one of the most accomplished and learned men of 
his time. 

A plain flat stone marks his grave at Rumsey, 
bearing this inscription : 

HERE LAYES 

SIR WILLIAM 

PETTY. 



CHAPTER V 

CHARLES THE SECOND 

The Henrietta — Lead sheathing — Stowage of ballast — The Charlotte — 
Ruyter's victory at Chatham — The Fanfan — Panther — Folly — Mon- 
mouth — Merlin — The London docks — Plague and fire — Rebuilding of 
London — The yacht Lenox — The Solalis — The Kitchin and other 
royal yachts — Striking topsails to the colors — The yacht Industry's 
voyage to Maryland, the first English yacht to cross the Atlantic — The 
King's last yachting cruise — His dying words. 

IN 1663 only one yacht appears to have been 
added to the fleet — the Hejirietta, built at 
Woolwich, by Christopher Pett, and named after 
King Charles's mother. She was one of the first 
vessels that milled lead sheathing was applied to as 
a protection against worms, it being done under 
the personal inspection of King Charles himself at 
Sheerness, in March, 1671. At about the same 
period, milled lead-sheathing was used also upon 
the ships Dreadnought, Harwich, Phcenix, and 
other vessels, but the lead was soon found to cor- 
rode rapidly the iron fastenings and bolts. It was 
therefore abandoned in 1682. The dimensions of 
the Henrietta were: Length of keel, 52 feet; 
breadth 19 feet 5 inches ; depth, 7 feet ; draught, 7 
feet ; 104 tons ; a crew of 30 men, and carrying 8 
guns. 

On July 7, 1663, Christopher Pett asks for "a 

91 



92 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

gratuity for building the pleasure-boats, as he has 
to entertain so many people." This indicated an 
increasing interest in yacht-building, as many peo- 
ple, probably courtiers from London, made the 
journey to the royal dockyards when the King's 
yachts were building, in order to note their prog- 
ress ; and it is probable that the master-shipwright 
desired to be provided with means to entertain these 
visitors with becoming hospitality. 

The recot;ds show that on August i8, 1663, Pett 
ordered some lead ballast for the Henrietta, and 
that on September gth he repeated the order for 
sixteen tons. Truly the spirit of economy pos- 
sessed the minds of the Naval Commissioners ! 
And some one — probably Christopher's jealous 
brother Peter, whose career as a yacht-builder had 
now closed ; for he built no more yachts for the 
King — suggested the use of stone ballast. Against 
this Christopher Pett indignantly protests, under 
date September 19, 1663 : " If stones are used in- 
stead of shot for ballast of the King's new yacht 
she will be damaged, for the quantity of stones 
required would make it needful to half fill the 
cabin, and would make her run to leeward." From 
this it appears that Christopher Pett had a pretty 
clear idea of the effect of ballast stowed low ; the 
positive knowledge of the fact having taken more 
than two centuries to develop to its full extent and 
power. 

Hume the historian states that at this period 
(1663-64) King Charles spent ^800,000 in one 
year upon his navy alone. It must have been 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 93 

some other reason, however, than proper economy 
that influenced the commissioners to express sur- 
prise when the account for the Henrietta s gilding 
and carving was presented ; for the official record 
states that " t'was ordered to be foreborne till trial 
had been made of the yacht." And while we are 
not informed as to how this and the ballast-contro- 
versy were finally adjusted, it may be assumed that 
King Charles did not sail about on board a yacht 
with her cabin half-full of stone ballast, and her 
hull destitute of ornament. Besides, it is not im- 
probable, too, that these overzealous commissioners 
found themselves in receipt of one of those witty, 
singeing reproofs, that Charles was so justly famous 
for. 

August 10, 1663, Christopher Pett writes to the 
Navy Commissioners, and " begs that the launch of 
the king's pleasure-boat may be deferred till next 
spring tides, when her rigging and sails will be 
more forward"; and on August 31st, that he has 
" chosen a mast for the King's new yacht, but wants 
the three (poop) lanterns, which his Majesty will 
expect to see up at her launching, and they are 
most difficult to make." 

When the He7irietta was about ready to go into 
commission, Pepys, as Secretary to the Admiralty, 
received applications from various persons and 
their friends for snug berths on board ; among 
others, a letter from a Captain William Hickes, 
who " Recommends Thomas Fortescue, cook of 
the Colchester, for the King's pleasure-boat, he being 
a truly honest and loyal person, who was to be 



94 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

hanged for his love for the King-, and so forced to 
be hangman himself." And Captain Hickes, who 
appears to have been ready for sea himself, men- 
tions that he " will plunder abroad for rarities and 
share them with Pepys's wife." 

It would be interestino- to know whether the ex- 
hangman, Fortescue, secured his cook's berth, or 
Hickes his rarities; but we are left in ignorance 
concerning these matters. Indeed, yachting-his- 
tory at this period, as recorded, is rather vague, 
and we are obliged to content ourselves with such 
glimpses as can be obtained by research through 
historical records relating to almost every subject 
except yachting. 

The first private yacht in England appears to 
have been the Cliarlottc, owned by Sir William 
Batten, of the Admiralty. Pepys's records, under 
date of September 3, 1663, show that he "boarded 
her early in the morning at Greenwich, accom- 
panied by Batten and Lady Batten, who, for 
pleasure were going to the Downes " ; and the wind 
being fresh, he predicts tliat " they will be sick 
enough, as my lady is mighty troublesome on the 
water." And Pepys was correct ; for, on Sep- 
tember 5th, he records : " Sir William Batten 
was fain to put ashore at Oueensborough with my 
Lady, who has been so sick she swears never to go 
to sea again." This sounds modern, and perhaps 
no experience connected with yachting is so fa- 
miliar or has repeated itself more frequently and 
persistently than this. Of course, the sea-sickness 
was beneficial. And no doubt Lady Batten sailed 



\ve are let 
matter 



can b 



. ciOliiu.. 
jfAdnurat Ruyter Destroying the EBglislj:|Fl,eet;, u, 
haA'C b-^rn the ^^ Chatham. 1667. 1,.^. t;;- 137:11;^,^ 



i.n this. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 95 

again, and many times, on board the good yacht 
Charlotte. 

During the years 1664-65, there were no royal 
yachts built in England. Also, in the latter year 
England entered into a naval war with Holland. 
Naturally, the temptation is strong to dwell upon 
this era of naval history (1664-74), during which 
so many memorable battles were gallantly lost and 



THE " ROYAL CHARLES" 

won upon the sea ; when Admiral Ruyter did what 
no other hostile fleet has successfully attempted 
since the days of William the Conqueror — entered 
the Thames and captured or destroyed the King's 
ships at Chatham. The arms of England and the 
poop-lanterns that ornamented the stern of the 
Royal Charles, which was captured on this occasion, 
are still preserved in the naval section of the Rijks 
Museum at Amsterdam. 

Prince Rupert owned a yacht named the iv?«/fl/z, 
built at Harwich by Sir Anthony Deane, which he 



96 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

took to sea with him in tow of his flagship, the 
Royal Charles, of the Red Squadron. On July 
26, 1665, as the EngHsh and Dutch ships lay be- 
calmed off Flushing, Rupert sent the Fanfan, 
which could manoeuvre in light airs while the fleets 
lay motionless — to attack Ruyter's flagship, the 
Seven Provinces. He directed the captain to fire 
into her stern, keeping out of range of her broad- 
side-guns. This the Fanfan did, much to the 
annoyance of the brave Dutch admiral who had 
no taste for such child's play, until the breeze 
sprang up, when she stood back to the English 
fleet. 

On July 17, 1667, Pepys's records show: "Home, 
where I was saluted with the news of Hogg's 
bringing a rich Canary prize to Hull ; and Sir W. 
Batten do offer me ^^looo. down for my particular 
share, beside Sir Richard Ford's part ; which do 
tempt me ; but yet I would not take it, but will 
stand or fall with the company. He had two 
more. The Panther and Fanfan did enter into 
consortship, and so they have all brought in each a 
prize, though ours is worth as much as both theirs 
and more. However, it will be well worth having, 
God be thanked for it. This news makes us all 
very glad. I, at Sir W. Batten's did hear the par- 
ticulars of it ; and there for joy he did give the 
company that were there a bottle or two of his 
own last year's wine growing at Walthamstow, 
than which the whole company said they never 
drank better foreign wine in their lives." 

The Fanfan was sold in 1682 by Prince Rupert's 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 97 

executor, and brought only a breaking-up price — 

;^46. 

In Prince Rupert's memoirs the biographer 
speaks of " yachting having been the fashion," and 
states that King Charles, "with his characteristic 
frivolity, had a yacht moored opposite Whitehall in 
which he might fancy himself at sea. This child- 
ish hobby was appropriately called the Folly, and 
aboard this yacht was one of the many lounging- 
places of the Court." The author seems to be 
rather severe on Charles : it was only natural that 
the King should desire, and provide himself with, 
some retreat where he could escape from the 
greedy and importunate hangers-on that infested 
the palace. 

August 17, 1665, Pepys writes: "By boat to 
Greenwich to the Bezan yacht, where Sir W. Bat- 
ten, Sir J. Minnes, and my Lord Brouncker and 
myself embarked in the yacht, and down we went 
most pleasantly. Short of Gravesend it grew calme, 
and we came to anchor and to supper, mighty 
merry, and then as we grew sleepy, and upon vel- 
vet cushions of the King's that belong to the yacht, 
fell asleep." And on September 17, 1665: "So I 
walked to Woolwich, to trim and shift myself, and 
by the time I was ready they came down in the 
Bezan yacht, and so I aboard and my boy Tom, 
and there very merrily we sailed below Gravesend, 
and then anchored for all night, and supped and 
talked, and with much pleasure at last settled our- 
selves to sleep, having very good lodging upon 
cushions in the cabbin." 



98 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

On November i6, 1665, Pepys records that, at 
Erith he was " in despair to get the pleasure-boat of 
the gentlemen," who finally agreed that he might 
have it, he " pleading the King's business." These 
gentlemen — Col. Francis Wyndham and Mr. John 
Ashburnham — were both distinguished Loyalists, 
and were among the earliest private yacht owners 
in England. 

February 2, 1666, Pepys records: " Lord Brounc- 
ker with the King and Duke upon the water to-day, 
to see Greenwich house, and the yacht Castle is 
building." 

Greenwich House was the first part of the stately 
palace begun in the reign of King Charles, and 
completed during the reign of William and Mar^'. 
For many years it was a home for aged and dis- 
abled seamen. To-day it stands a noble monument 
to the memory of King Charles and its renowned 
architects, Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren. 

Among the scientific projects in which King 
Charles also interested himself was the establish- 
ment of the Greenwich Observatory, from which 
long-itude is reckoned. The hill on which the ob- 
servatory stands was named in honor of John 
Flamsteed, the first astronomer-royal, who received 
his appointment in 1675. 

The yacht that Castle was building at Rother- 
hithe, was the Monmouth; length of keel, 52 feet; 
breadth, 19 feet 6 inches; depth, 8 feet; draught, 7 
feet 3 inches; 103 tons. She carried a crew of 30 
men and 8 guns, and was of almost the same dimen- 
sions as the Henrietta, built three years before. 




i 




;'o finally agreed that he might 
he King's business." These 

■rancis ^" " 'nd Mr ^-•- 

Acre br-i- ed Lo', :. , 

r the < yacht owners 



666, Pepys records: " JLc-rd Lirounc- 
and Duke upon the - " '■"-'-'^^' 
hnn.se. and the y; 



louse ^■ 



part of the state 



i;aiac<: An English Man-of-War. 1670:' " '"^' ^"^^ 

.lie .oga -- . ^^^'• 

was a home for age 
To-d ids a noble monument 



to the memor\ 
tu'Jutects, 

\mong -- 

i.arles also inte 
nent of the Gre^- 



'lich King 

., Irom wtiii-H 

ua which the ob- 

honor of John 

ceived 

•.\o' ,u. ivOii 
o 

: keel, 52 f 
8 feet; draugl- 
1 fried a crew of 30 

ns, and was oi almost the same dirr : -- 
'■'' nrietta, built three "^-'^'^ b^f 



eed, the fir 
Ttmentii 
, yacht that 
■ -: the Mon-, 
o feet 6 in^ 
3 tons 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 99 

being the same length on the keel, one inch more 
beam, one foot more depth, but only three inches 
more draught, and one ton less burden, and she had 
the same number of men and guns, so that we may 
assume that these were regarded as satisfactory di- 
mensions, especially as the Merlin, built in the same 
year by Jonas Shish, also at Rotherhithe, was of 
nearly similar measurements, being, length of keel, 
53 feet; breadth, 19 feet 6 inches; depth, 6 feet; 
draught, 7 feet 4 inches; 109 tons, and the same 
number of men and guns. 

Not much appears to be known concerning 
William Castle, the builder of the Monmouth; but 
Jonas Shish, or, as he was more familiarly called, 
" Old Shish," was a famous shipbuilder. Among 
other men-of-war, he built the Royal Charles, 1229 
tons ; the Londoii, 1328 tons ; and the Oak Royal, 
1 107 tons, which were excellent vessels in their 
day. Grateful as we must all feel to Pepys, — the 
minute recorder, as he certainly was, — no charity can 
blind us to the fact that he was a man of strong 
prejudices, which frequently warped his judgment. 
He appears also to have disapproved of pretty much 
everything relating to maritime affairs outside of 
his own set in the Admiralty, to whom he was 
attached body and soul. " Old Shish " found no 
favor in his eyes, and, according to Pepys, "was 
illiterate, low-spirited, of little appearance or author- 
ity, little frugality, a great drinker, and since killed 
with it." All this may be, and probably is, true, 
but there are some other things concerning " Old 
Shish " that are probably true also ; for Evelyn 



L.c?C. 



loo THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

records in his diary that Jonas Shish was " a plain, 
honest carpenter, hardly capable of reading, yet of 
great ability ; the famil) have been ship carpenters 
in this yard (Deptford) above a hundred years." 

Shish died in 1680, and three knights, assisted 
by John Evelyn himself, " held up the pall at his 
funeral." This ancient master-shipwright was no 
doubt something of a character ; for Evelyn relates 
that he " used to rise in the night to pray, kneeling 
in his own cofifin, which he had lying by him for 
many years." Nevertheless, none of these things 
appear to have prevented Shish from building some 
of the best ships of that day. 

About this period Christopher Pett, like his 
brother Peter, seems to have been unable to find 
further favor with the King ; he built no more 
yachts for him ; for Pepys relates, under date of 
April 26, 1666, that the King, in his presence, con- 
trasts the vacillating disposition of Commissioner 
Taylor with the firmness of master-shipwright 
Christopher Pett : " For Pett finds that God hath 
put him in the right, and so will keep him in it 
while he is in "; and adds, " I am sure it must be 
God put him in, for no art of his own could have 
done it." And, continues innocent Pepys, " he can 
not give a good account of what he do as an artist." 
Pepys considers this remark of Charles as commen- 
dation of the master-shipwright, though it appears 
to be susceptible of a slightly ironical interpretation. 

At this time London had for its eastern limit the 
present site of the St. Katherine Docks, although 
these were not constructed till more than a century 



777^ HISTORY OF YACHTING loi 

and a half later. The Commercial Dock, however, 
was built during this reign, and was the first wet- 
dock opened in England. Tower Hill lay in open 
country, and the Minories were only built on one 
side fronting the wall. Goodman's Fields were a 
pasture, divided by hedge rows from Spital Fields, 
while Houndsditch was but one row of houses ; and 
Bishopsgate, St. Nortonfalgate, and Shoreditch were 
unconnected ; Finsbury Field was dotted with wind 
mills, and away across beautiful meadows were a 
few houses, known as Holborn, by the banks of a 
small stream, called Old Borne, which connected the 
ponds of Clerkenwell with the Thames. The space 
between Holborn and the Strand was open fields 
and gardens extending to the river-side. Convent 
Garden was a garden belonging to the Convent of 
Westminster, and extended to St. Martin's Lane ; 
while what we now know as the Haymarket, Pall 
Mall, St. James Street, Piccadilly, and the almost 
numberless streets and squares of London, had no 
existence. Westminster was a tiny town by itself, 
far away across open country, and Temple Bar, 
which in later years marked the western limit of 
the city, was not at this time erected. Fleet Street 
was the course of the River Fleet. Walbrook was 
a winding stream, passing through the city into 
the Thames. And London Bridge was a structure 
covered with wooden houses on each side. 

The houses of London, at that period, were 
built of wood thatched with straw, each story pro- 
jecting forward, one above the other, until the 
houses nearly met over the middle of the streets. 



I02 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

And many of these were narrow, without pave- 
ments, badly drained ; constantly strewn with every 
kind of refuse and filth, engendering pestilential 
vapors. Naturally, all these noxious influences re- 
sulted in plague, by which London had been rav- 
aged on many occasions. But the plague known 
in history as " The Plague of London," occurred in 
1665, and was the last and most terrible one. Dur- 
ing its death-dealing term more than 100,000 men, 
women, and children perished. 

June 7, 1665, Pepys records that he saw houses 
marked with a red cross and the words " Lord have 
mercy upon us" over the doors. Deaths daily in- 
creased, and all business was stopped. Grass grew 
in the streets, and the silence of death was broken 
only by the stern command given from house to 
house, " Bring out your dead ! " and the solemn 
tollingf of the funeral knell. 

September 2, 1666, a fire broke out early in the 
morning at a house in Pudding Lane, and a strong 
east wind spread the flames which raged with fury 
during four days and nights, sweeping away the 
London of ancient times. Yet in its ashes was 
laid the foundation of the grandest city the world 
has ever known. 

King Charles did every thing in his power to 
relieve the distress of his people even before the 
fire had burnt itself out. He caused the taxes of 
London citizens to be immediately remitted by 
special act of Parliament, and took great personal 
interest in rebuilding the city upon a rational and 
sanitary basis. Many splendid buildings were 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 103 

erected. Among them may be severally mentioned 
the Royal Exchange, which stood until 1838, when 
it was destroyed by fire, and was replaced by the pre- 
sent Royal Exchange ; — which within its walls still 
preserves the priceless archives of the corpora- 
tion of Lloyd's, the oldest and greatest marine-in- 
surance institution of the world, and has a repre- 
sentative in every seaport of importance on the 
globe ; — St. Paul's Cathedral, whose superb dome 
rises amid the stately towers and spires of London 
like a mother-hen among her chicks ; the monument 
on Fish Street Hill, commemorating the great fire; 
Temple Bar, which, until the closing quarter of the 
last century, was the only surviving gateway mark- 
ing the city limit ; besides many beautiful churches, 
which still stand as monuments to the memory of 
the monarch under whose reign they were erected, 
and to the genius of the great architect that 
conceived them. 

No more royal yachts were built until 1670. 
But in 1667, John Griffiere, a noted artist, built or 
purchased a yacht, and with his family, pencils, 
and colors aboard, made her his floating home for 
many years, cruising upon the Thames and along 
the coast, sketching and painting the shipping and 
scenery. 

In 1668 the Duke of Richmond owned a yacht 
named the Lennox. Little appears to be known 
about this vessel, however, except that Pepys 
mentions her in a manner that indicates her sail- 
ing did not please him. 

In 1670 Sir Anthony Deane built a yacht for 



104 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Queen Katherine at Portsmouth, named the Solalis, 
a Portugese name meaning the flower columbine, 
which was length of keel, 74 feet ; breadth, 2 1 feet 
6 inches ; depth, 10 feet ; draught, 9 feet 6 inches ; 
180 tons burden. She carried a crew of 75 men 
and 16 guns ; and Pepys relates that the Queen 
had seriously purposed entering a nunnery, but 
afterward "gave life to all frequent divertisements 
on the river Thames in her vessel." In August, 
1670, the Queen, in the Solalis, visited her early 
home at Lisbon, being convoyed by one of the 
King's ships of war. 

Sir Anthony Deane, the ablest and most scien- 
tific shipbuilder of his day, built a number of suc- 
cessful and famous vessels, his masterpiece being 
the Harwich, named for the port where she was 
launched in 1674. This vessel was 993 tons. Her 
dimensions had been copied from the French war- 
ship Superbe, which lay off Spithead with the 
French fleet during the war with the Dutch. In 
1675 the King went to sea in the Harwich 
escorted by a squadron ; and Pepys reported of- 
ficially that "the Harwich carries the bell from 
the whole fleet, great and small." 

In early life Deane was a mariner, but, soon 
after the restoration of King Charles, he, having 
served an apprenticeship in the dockyards, was ap- 
pointed assistant master-shipwright at Woolwich. 
Here, fortunately for him, he attracted the fa- 
vorable notice of Pepys, who became his patron, 
and lost no opportunity to further his interests. 
As a naval architect Deane justly achieved emi- 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 105 

nence, and advanced rapidly in the social and 
political world ; first, being made a Knight, then a 
Naval Commissioner, and, finally, M. P., where he 
sat at one time with Pepys. 

In 1675 the King allowed Deane to visit France 
for the purpose of building two yachts for King 
Louis XIV. Here he attracted the favorable no- 
tice of Colbert, the King's minister, who made 
him valuable presents. 

In 1670 William Castle built the yacht Kitchin, 
of 103 tons, at Rotherhithe. In 167 1 were built 
two yachts, the Queensborough, 29 tons, by Phineas 
Pett the younger, at Chatham, and the Cleveland, 
107 tons, by Sir Anthony Deane, at Portsmouth. 
In 1672 the yacht Richmond, 64 tons, was 
bought. In 1673 the yacht Deal, 28 tons, was 
built by Phineas Pett, at Woolwich ; Isle of Wight, 
25 tons, by Daniel Furzer, at Portsmouth ; and 
the Navy, 74 tons, by Sir Anthony Deane, at 
Portsmouth. 

These were all royal yachts, and their dimen- 
sions show no material departure from those al- 
ready given of yachts of similar tonnage. Their 
measurements are therefore omitted. 

Of the yachts built during the reign of King 
Charles, so far as can be traced, the Mary, pre- 
sented to Charles by the Dutch, was lost off Holy- 
head in 1675; the An7te, sold in 1686; and the 
Katherine, captured by the Dutch in 1673. The 
Charles was exchanged with the Ordnance of- 
fice for the Tower smack in 1668 ; the Henrietta 
was sunk in battle by the Dutch in 1673 ; the 



io6 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Richmond was sold in 1685 ; and the Deal was 
sold in 1686. 

Nine other royal yachts were built during this 
reign ; the Katherme, 135 tons, built by Phineas 
Pett, at Chatham ; the Portsmouth, 133 tons, built 
by Phineas Pett, at Woolwich, both in 1674 ; the 
Charles, 120 tons, built by Sir Anthony Deane, 
at Rotherhithe, in 1675 ; the Chariot, 142 tons, 
built by Phineas Pett, at Woolwich ; the Mary, 
166 tons, built by Phineas Pett, at Chatham, both 
in 1677 ; the Henrietta, 162 tons, built by 
Thomas Shish, at Woolwich, in 1679 ; the Isabella 
Bezan, 52 tons, built by Phineas Pett, at Chatham, 
in 1680 ; the Fubbs, 148 tons, built by Phineas 
Pett, at Greenwich, in 1682 ; and the Isabella, 
114 tons, built by Phineas Pett, at Greenwich, 
in 1683. 

This completes the list of royal yachts built 
during the reign of Charles II. It will be seen 
that four of these yachts were named after the 
older craft, which had disappeared. And so we 
find that at this early period the custom was es- 
tablished, which had long existed in the navy, and 
continues to the present day, to repeat the names 
of yachts. As a matter of sentiment, the idea is a 
beautiful one ; but it does not commend itself to 
the historian. It has, indeed, led to a great deal 
of uncertainty and confusion, and will, in all prob- 
ability lead to more. 

Some interesting particulars are to be found in 
old State papers as to the monthly rate of wages 
paid to the officers and crews of royal yachts at this 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 107 

period. Captains received £1. o. o per month ; 
mates and pilots, £2. 2. o ; surgeons, £2. 10. o ; 
midshipmen, £1. i. o; captain's clerks, £\. 10. o; 
stewards, £\. o. o; cooks, ;i^i. 4. o ; gunners, £2. 
o. o ; boatswains, £2. 2. o ; carpenters, £2. o. o ; 
quartermasters, £\. 6. o ; able seamen, £\. 4. o; 
ordinary seamen, 19s ; and boys, 9s. 6d. These 
wages were based upon the navy scale, and were 
the same as paid on board the sixth rates. They 
were the same on board the smaller yachts, but 
these did not usually carry a surgeon, nor any mid- 
shipmen nor quartermasters. 

This scale of remuneration will probably not be 
regarded as excessive by yachtsmen of the present 
day, yet, nevertheless. King Charles had difficulty 
in inducing his frugal Naval Board of Com- 
missioners to pay even these amounts ; for Pepys 
informs us, under date of February, 1677, that the 
wages then due to the Queenborough yacht, were 
thirty-five or thirty-six months overdue ; whereas, 
on the other hand, we are unable to discover any 
record that the comfortable salaries and emolu- 
ments collected by these commissioners were ever 
in arrear. 

The English appear to have followed the custom 
of the Dutch regarding the various employments to 
which yachts were put; and, as we have seen, the 
Henrietta was sunk, and the Katherine was cap- 
tured in action. This naval war was caused partly 
by a yacht. In 1 671, it appears, the yacht Merlin 
was sent to bring Lady Temple to England, and 
her commander instructed " on his return to sail 



io8 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

through the Dutch fleet, then lying off their own 
coast, and to make them strike their topsails or to 
fire on them, and to persevere until they should re- 
turn his fire. The Dutch Admiral, astonished at 
such bravado, went on board the yacht, and ex- 
pressed his willingness to pay all due respect to the 
British flag, according to former practice; but that 
a fleet on their own coasts should strike to a single 
vessel, and that not a ship of war, he said, was such 
an innovation, that he durst not, without express 
orders, agree to it. The admiral, after this apol- 
ogy, paid the compliment of saluting the yacht 
with his guns, without lowering his sails; and the 
captain, thinking it equally absurd and inhuman to 
sacrifice the lives of his crew, and the life of a lady 
whose safety he had in charge, yielded to the un- 
equal contest, and continued his course to Eng- 
land; for which neglect of orders he was committed 
to the Tower, and Downing in a very imperious 
manner demanded satisfaction for the affront." 

In the declaration of war that followed is cited, 
among other grievances, "the refusal of the Dutch 
fleet to strike to the English yacht." 

August 12, 1 67 1, the yacht Indtistry sailed from 
the Thames, having on board the distinguished 
Quaker, George Fox, and a party of Friends. 
After calling in at Barbadoes and Jamaica, the In- 
dustry arrived in Maryland, where she remained 
several months, then returned to England, arriving at 
Bristol, June 28, 1673. " The Industry was counted 
a very swift sailer, but was leaky, and kept both 
sailors and passengers at the pumps day and night." 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 109 

This must have been the first English yacht that 
crossed the Atlantic, and we find no record of a 
second yacht visiting America until more than a 
century later. 

In May, 1669, the yacht Mary was ordered by 
the King to take down " one hundred able water- 
men for the rigging and fetching-about of the Sand- 
wich to Chatham." Yachts at this period, we see, 
were by no means mere toys and playthings, but 
were expected to do their share of work. 

It is rather strange that there should be only one 
portrait of English yachts at this period, as King 
Charles engaged William Vandervelde — born at 
Leyden in 1610, who " Learned to paint ships by a 
previous turn to navigation " — to come to England ; 
also his son, known as Vandervelde the younger, 
born at Amsterdam, 1633; and received them with 
marks of royal favor. 

The elder Vandervelde once piloted the English 
fleet in Dutch waters, and was a good seaman, as 
well as a great artist, his works being well known 
and justly celebrated. 

So far as can be traced, William Vandervelde 
painted only one picture of yachts in England; 
this picture, which is here reproduced, is owned by 
Mr. C. Newton Robinson, of London, and repre- 
sents King Charles seated on the quarter-deck of 
the nearest yacht. It will be seen that these yachts 
closely resemble — in construction and rig — the 
Dutch yachts of that period. 

Doubtless also there were other private yachts of 
which all trace has been lost, as one of the great 



no THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

naval scandals, even in an age pregnant with every 
variety of scandal, was the giving away to Court 
favorites of many Dutch vessels, fly-boats, and 
doggers, captured by the navy. Some of these 
vessels may probably have been transformed into 
yachts, courtiers in those days not being concerned 
in trade or commerce. On the other hand, Pepys, 
under date of August i6, 1683, refers again to 
Colonel Wyndham in his " own yacht," and remarks 
that " he is the only gentleman of state who was 
ever known to addict himself to the sea for plea- 
sure " ; so that it is difficult to form any accurate 
opinion on this point. 

The London Mercury of October 28, 1682, in 
a notice of the Duke of Grafton and two other 
noblemen being capsized in a wherry on the 
Thames, mentions Lord Dunblane's " pleasure- 
boat," off Greenwich, where the whole party dined. 

The sailing-match recorded as having taken 
place on the Thames, is the only one in which 
King Charles participated, and he does not appear 
to have cared much for racing. Cruising was his 
greatest pleasure, and Lord Arlington records that 
he would steal away from Windsor upon any pre- 
tence and board his fleet at Sheerness for a cruise 
to Plymouth or other ports on the south coast. 

The short cruises in his yachts were no doubt 
jolly affairs; for Charles enjoyed lively, witty con- 
versation and company. He was fond of raillery 
and bantering with his friends, and yet this kind- 
hearted, affable monarch could administer the re- 
buke of a wit and a gentleman. Upon one occasion, 



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Two Royal Yachts in the Reign of King Charles II. 



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THE HISTOR Y OF YA CHTING 1 1 1 

Penn stood before him with his hat on. The King 
took off his. "Friend Charles," said Penn, "why 
dost thou not keep on thy hat ? " " 'T is the cus- 
tom of this place," the King replied, in his usual 
strain of pleasantry, " that never above one person 
should be covered at a time." Like all bright, 
witty men. King Charles did not mind occasionally 
having the joke against him. And he harbored no 
resentment, provided there was wit in the joke. 
On one occasion he called Lord Chancellor Shafts- 
bury in his own hearing, " the greatest rogue in 
England " ; to which the Chancellor replied, " Of a 
subject, sir, perhaps I am." At another time the 
Earl of Dorset had come to the Court on Queen 
Elizabeth's birthday, long kept in London as a 
holiday. The King, forgetting the day, asked, 
"What are the bells rung for?" The answer 
given, the King asked further: " How came it to 
pass that her birthday is still kept, while those of 
my father and grandfather are no more thought of 
than William the Conqueror's." " Because," the 
candid and witty peer replied, " She, being a woman, 
chose men for her counsellors, and men, when they 
reign, usually choose women." On another oc- 
casion the Duke of Buckingham made an elo- 
quent speech in which he eulogized the King, and 
amonsf other thingfs referred to him as " the father 
of his people." Someone about the Court — per- 
haps Rochester, for it sounds like him — hearing 
this, remarked, " Yes, or a good many of them." 
King Charles was very fond of dogs ; one beautiful 
breed still bearing his name. Upon the King's 



112 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

entry into Salisburj', an honest cavalier pressed 
forward to see him, coming so near that his 
Majesty Icindly cautioned the poor man not to cling 
to the door, lest one of the little black spaniels 
should chance to bite him. The loyalist still per- 
sisted, whereupon one of the spaniels seized him by 
the finger. In great pain he cried with a loud voice, 
" God bless your Majesty, but damn your dogs !" 

There can be no doubt that King Charles was 
an able man, and, as Bishop Burnett said of him, 
" he knew the architecture of ships so perfectly, 
that in that respect, he was more exact than be- 
came a Prince." He supervised the smallest de- 
tails relating to his dockyards, selecting all the 
ships chartered for special purposes. Pepys, early 
in his diary, reflects upon the King's " sauntering," 
but later discovered reason to commend Charles for 
his industry and interest in naval affairs. When 
he came to understand him better, he writes in the 
Naval Minutes concerning Charles, as one " which 
best understood the Business of the Sea of any 
Prince the world ever had." 

When King Charles came to the throne, Eng- 
land had lately passed through a hurricane of 
political and religious strife. She was like a 
dismasted ship in mid-ocean after a storm ; for, 
although the fierce whirlwind of passion had died 
out, the cross-seas of political and social factions 
still ran high, and often broke with sullen fury. 
With philosophical, good-humored contempt for 
human nature, Charles saw that he could do noth- 
ing to quiet these discordant elements ; that time 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 113 

alone could calm the angry sea ; he resolved, there- 
fore, to leave Roman Catholic and Puritan alike to 
their own devices. 

The Count de Commings relates, in a letter to 
King Louis XIV., of being at one time on board 
one of the King's yachts with a large company to 
witness the launch of the Roya.1 Catherine, a 
splendid eighty-gun ship, built at Woolwich by 
Christopher Pett. The King provided a magni- 
ficent repast, at which the French monarch's health 
was drunk again and again, and Charles com- 
manded the company to respond. The Count 
writes : " they were not remiss in performing their 
duty ; as the healths were toasted guns were 
fired, the noise of which brought on a change of 
weather," and as the festivity progressed, the ship 
was launched and rolled up the waters of the 
Thanles, which became rather rough, and caused 
little less unpleasantness among the health-drinkers 
than the wine, affording Charles much amusement. 
And the Count continues, describing the difficul- 
ties of getting ashore and back to London again, 
" the King was amused to see all the others sick in 
the storm, and cared little about exposing us to it." 

An interesting account of one of the King's 
many yachting cruises comes to us through a 
strange medium, — ■ a History of Music published 
in 1776. It appears that Charles once made up 
a party for a sail down the Thames and round 
the Kentish coast in one of his yachts, the Fubbs, 
then lately built. This curious appellation, by the 
way, was a pet name of his for the Duchess of 



114 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Portsmouth, one of his favorites, and well-known 
in history. It was a contraction of the old Eng- 
lish word Fubby, signifying plump, fair, chubby. 
In those days it had become a slang word among 
artists. John Gostling, a subdean of the Royal 
Chapel, St. Paul's, was requested to make one 
of the sailing party. Possessing an exceptionally 
fine voice, it was to him that the King, who loved 
music, once presented a silver ^^^ filled with 
golden guineas, remarking that " eggs were good 
for the voice." The King himself had a fair tenor 
voice, and was fond of joining his clerical friend 
in an easy song ; while, at times, the Duke of 
York would accompany them on the guitar. 

The Ftibbs had proceeded on her cruise as far 
as the North Foreland, and everyone appeared to 
be happy, when suddenly the sea-breeze began 
to pipe, and, in the words of the narrative, " the 
King and the Duke of York was necessitated, in 
order to preserve the vessel, to hand the sails like 
common seamen ; but by good providence, how- 
ever, they escaped to land ; and the distress they 
were in made such an impression on the mind of 
Mr. Gostling that it was never effaced. Struck 
with a just sense of the deliverance, and — the 
horror of the scene he had lately viewed, he se- 
lected, upon his return to London, some passages 
from the Psalms, which declare the terrors of the 
deep, and gave them to the famous organist, Mr. 
Henry Purcell, with which to compose an anthem. 
This he did, and adapted it to the compass of Mr. 
Gostling's voice, which was a deep bass." 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 115 

No doubt Charles's clerical-musical friend, badly- 
shaken up and unnecessarily alarmed, probably re- 
ceived little consolation from the Merry Monarch 
and his rollicking companions. The anthem, it 
appears, was " set to music so deep that hardly any 
person but himself (Gostling), then or since, has 
been able to sing it." It was never printed, al- 
though well known. The King died before it was 
completed. Accordingly, this was one of the last 
— if not the very last — yachting cruises of King 
Charles. The Fubbs was then, as we have seen, 
one of the last Royal yachts built during his reign ; 
and she survived for some ninety years, having 
been rebuilt in 1724. Not till 1770 did she disap- 
pear from the Navy List. She was then broken up. 

According to Gramont, the King usually slept 
during sermons, but was fond of hearing anthems 
sung in his chapel, and of keeping time to the 
music with his head and hands. In his last illness 
King Charles suffered great pain, but his cheerful- 
ness and kindly thought for the feelings of others 
remained with him to the end. Even in his last 
moments he apologized to those that had stood 
near him through the night, for the trouble he had 
caused. He had been, he said, " a most uncon- 
sionable time dying, but he hoped they would ex- 
cuse him." His last words were his best : " Let 
not poor Nellie starve ! " 

And so died the first of England's yachtsmen, on 
February 6, 1685, in his fifty-fifth year, and in the 
twenty-fifth of his reign. 



CHAPTER VI 

WILLIAM AND MARY 

Landing of King William at Torbay — The yacht Princess Afary — Her 
remarkable longevity — The William and Mary — The Mtdina — 
Jacobite plots — Caermarthen's yacht — Peter the Great, in Holland and 
England — The Little Grandsire — Generous action of Louis XIV. 

KING CHARLES was succeeded by his brother, 
the Duke of York, who became King James 
II. of England. He reigned but four years, abdi- 
cating December ii, 1688. No record has been 
found that any yachts were built during these years. 
But with the accession of the Prince of Orange, — 
Kinof William III. of England — was introduced 
one of the most remarkable yachts of that period, — 
the Princess Mary. 

It is not known exactly when or where this yacht 
was built. Some writers suppose that she appeared 
in the early part of the seventeenth century in 
England, and that her original name was the Brill. 
This, however, seems extremely improbable, as no 
yachts are known to have been built in England 
prior to 1 66 1. It is hardly possible, too, that any 
one would have imported a yacht from England 
into Holland — at that time the home of yacht- 
building ; whose shipwrights also excelled in ship- 
building. It is probable, rather, that the Princess 
Mary was built in Holland about 1677, during the 

116 




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THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 117 

year Prince William married the Princess Mary of 
England, in whose honor the yacht was christened. 

A portrait is here given of this yacht, lying off 
Delft Haven. On her high stern may be seen the 
arms of the Prince of Orange, and on her flag-staff 
the standard she carried when William of Orange 
came from Holland to become the King of Eng- 
land, bearing the motto : " The Protestant Relig : 
AND THE Liberty of England " ; also the motto 
of the house of Nassau : " Je Maintiendray." 

The admirals of the seventy ships that composed 
the fleet that escorted William to Torbay, where 
he landed November 5, 1688, carried a red flag 
with the first of these mottoes inscribed upon it. 

In February, 1689, a number of yachts, — the 
Princess Mary among them, — were sent to Hol- 
land with a fleet under command of Lord Admiral 
Herbert to escort Queen Mary to England. An 
illustration of her landing at the Isle of Thanet, 
February 22, 1689, is here given, showing three 
of the royal yachts in the foreground saluting, the 
smoke from the guns somewhat obscuring their 
hulls. 

This distinction should have been enough for 
any yacht ; and the Princess Mary, about twelve 
years old, — although some writers state her age to 
have been, then, more than half a century, — might 
well have retired with honor. But her career was 
not ended ; in reality it had only begun. 

One warm afternoon late in the spring of 1856, 
the rays of the declining sun flooded the old Ad- 
miralty Court at Westminster and embellished the 



1 1 8 THE HISTOR Y OF YA CHTING 

little desks and tables, — covered with worn and 
faded green baize, — the uncommonly hard wooden 
benches, with conscientious upright backs, and the 
witness box of the size of a Dundee whaler's crow's 
nest, and of about as much comfort, which com- 
prised the principal furniture of the old Admiralty 
Court. Some of us still remember the old place 
with affection ; for within those homely walls were 
recorded, under oath and cross-examination, stories 
of the sea so vivid and picturesque, that, in dra- 
matic effect and exciting interest, the inventive 
genius of the novelist has never excelled, and rarely 
equalled them. 

A case was being tried there before Justice 
Stephen Lushington, D.C.L., one of the most cele- 
brated among the many renowned jurists of Great 
Britain. Counsel was arguing concerning the al- 
legfed aofe of the vessel to which his brief referred, 
and was pursuing the even tenor of his discourse, — 
as counsel sometimes do when no jury is present, — 
when the judge remarked, from the bench, that 
about forty years before (1816) he was counsel in 
a case relating to the vessel that had brought over 
William of Orangre to Eng-land. 

As may be imagined, this gave decided interest 
to the case ; without it, in all probability, it would 
never have been heard of again. His Honor's re- 
mark started some of the journalists of Great Brit- 
ain in the wake of the Princess Mary, and they 
closely followed her, finding her in good shape for 
one hundred and thirty-nine years. A few, not 
content with this, and by beginning early, increased 



incipa! 



Landing of Queen Mjvr^„in,.^gla^^.5,..i689.^,^g^j 



.nc; ^v. 



■y-is present, - 
ie bench, that 



■iv: was 
had b. 



'icess ui: 

and by :,.;.. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 119 

their calculations from fifty to seventy-five years 
more. 

It must be stated, however, that the remark of 
the learned Justice Lushington was not strictly ac- 
curate ; for the vessel that "brought over" the 
future King of England from Holland, was the 
ship Briel, although William left the shores of 
Holland on board the Princess Mary and later 
boarded the Briel and landed from the Princess 
Mary in England. 

After disembarking the future King, the Prin- 
cess Mary enjoyed many years of dignified and 
honorable employment. She was used as a royal 
yacht during the reigns of William HI. and Queen 
Anne : and upon the death of the Queen she came 
into possession of his Majesty, King George I. 
But in 1 714, by his order, she ceased to form a 
part of the royal establishment ; and about the 
middle of the eighteenth century, during an out- 
burst of economy, she was sold by the Govern- 
ment, to Messrs. Walters & Co., of London, who 
changed her name to the Betsy Cairns, in honor 
of a West Indian lady of that name. She was 
then variously employed : as a West Indiaman, 
privateer, and Smyrna figger. For about fifty 
years she was employed in this kind of work, until 
in 1 8 10 she enjoyed a glimpse of her former glory 
by being chartered into the royal service for a few 
months, and becoming a transport under King 
George III., being present at the seige of Cadiz, 
and becoming also the headquarters of the Royal 
Marine Artillery. 



I20 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

She next became the property of Messrs. Car- 
lins & Co., of London, and was converted into a 
colHer, transporting coals between Newcastle, Lon- 
don, and the Continent. In all these employments 
she did her work well, and bore the reputation of 
being " a lucky ship and a fast sailer." 

It was this period of her career that inspired the 
brilliant and witty Dr. Sheldon McKenzie to write, 
in later years, these impromptu lines in an album: 

" Behold the fate of sublunary things: 
She exports coal which once imported Kings." 

In 1825 she was purchased by Mr. George Finch 
Wilson, of South Shields ; but by this time her 
figure-head was gone and she had become a full- 
rigged brig. On February 27, 1827, while bound 
from Shields to Hamburg with her usual cargo of 
coals, she struck, in a heavy gale, upon the Black 
Middens, — a dangerous reef of rocks at the mouth 
of the Tyne, — and in a few days went to pieces. 

At this time she must have been well-known 
throughout Great Britain ; for the news of her dis- 
aster brought to the wreckers of Shields applica- 
tions for pieces of her remains from all over the 
country. The Orange Lodges were especially 
importunate. 

Souvenirs of various kinds, such as snuff-boxes, 
paper-knives, and ink-stands were made from her 
oak planking and timbers, — age and exposure hav- 
ing made them as hard and black as ebony. Each 
member of the corporation of Newcastle was pre- 
sented with a snuff-box, beautifully ornamented ; 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 121 

while two carved figures, part of her original 
knightheads, are now in the possession of the 
Brethren of the Trinity-house, Newcastle. A beam 
with carved and gilded mouldings, which formed 
part of her principal cabin, became the property of 
Mr. Rippon Waterville, North Shields. 

At the time of her wreck the Betsy Cairns was 
80 feet 3 inches in length, and 23 feet in breadth ; 
was carvel built, and had two decks, the height be- 
tween the decks being 6 feet 6 inches. 

There is no record of her having been rebuilt 
while known as the Princess Mary, though it is 
probable she was kept in good repair. As the 
Betsy Cairns, however, it is extremely improbable 
that she ever received more than the most neces- 
sary repairs ; for in those days it was the custom 
for owners to let their vessels run until they sank 
into watery graves and became the property of 
underwriters. 

The long and useful life of this vessel is an elo- 
quent tribute to the excellence, at this period, of 
material and workmanship ; and yet this very 
durability, perhaps more than in any other thing, 
proved the most effective obstacle to improvement 
in naval architecture and construction. The fact 
that a vessel 139 years old could earn a living by 
carrying coals, shows how slight must have been 
the improvement in vessels in this flourishing and 
important industry, where competition is keen and 
intelligent. 

This old craft was an object of especial affec- 
tion, not unmixed with superstition, among the 



122 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

sailors of the east coast. For many years a memo- 
rable prophecy had been associated with her for- 
tunes, to the effect, " that the Catholics would never 
get the better while the Betsy Cairns was afloat " ; 
hence, these rugged, brave seamen heard of her 
fate with grief and apprehension. 

The Princess Mary, however, had, during a 
portion of her career, two companions almost as 
venerable as herself. One of these was the royal 
yacht William and Mary, built at Chatham, by R. 
Lee, in 1694; length of keel, 62 feet 10 inches; 
breadth, 21 feet 7 inches; depth, 10 feet 6 inches; 
172 tons burden, rebuilt at Deptford in 1765. She 
appears in the Navy List of 1800, being then 
under repair at Deptford, and at that date was the 
oldest vessel in the British Navy. The next oldest 
was the royal yacht Medina, built at Portsmouth 
in 1702 ; length of keel, 42 feet 10 inches; breadth, 
1 7 feet ; depth, 8 feet 6 inches ; and 66 tons 
burden. 

These yachts were in active service in the year 
1800, and probably later, although they disappear 
from our sight at this date, except that the name of 
the William and Mary was changed to the Coquette 
in 1807. Had they possessed the power of speech 
and memory, what stories they could have told of 
fetes and frolics on the starlit, summer sea, the 
gentle breeze bearing across her calm bosom the 
sweet perfume of ripening fields ; of gallant men 
and fair women, their vows of constancy and love 
whispered and sealed by lips long silent and turned 
to dust ; Of war and battle ; of crashing, splintering 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 123 

shot, flashing sabres, boarding pikes, and vicious 
grappling irons ; of gun-crews stripped to the waist, 
with hairy arms and bodies tattooed in India ink, 
smeared with gunpowder and sweat ; the oaths of 
the wounded and moans of the dying; the fierce 
wild shouts of victory, as the enemy hauled down 
his colors, blood trickling from the lee scuppers, 
amid smoke and the tumult of battle. Of bleak 
wintry gales, the spray flying across the decks, 
sheathing the bulwarks and rigging in icy armor ; 
the giant waves rushing onward, bearing their white 
crests on high like warriors in battle, surging in 
seething breakers under the lee. 

These visions, and many more, lay hidden among 
the oaken planks and timbers of these ancient sis- 
ters of the sea. We may look and look in vain for 
their records upon the page of history — they per- 
ished when these old-time yachts silently vanished 
from the ocean. 

In the year 1690, among the numerous plots and 
counterplots incident to the Jacobite movement, 
was one in connection with which Viscount Preston 
undertook to convey certain letters, — one from 
Catherine Sedley, of a personal, if not private, 
nature, complaining of her lover, etc. ; and two 
others of importance, one from Francis Turner, 
Bishop of Ely, intended for the Court of St. Ger- 
main, and the other to Mary of Madena, then 
residing in France. To carry out his plans, Pres- 
ton chartered the smack James and Elizabeth to 
transport him and two Jacobite agents, named 
Ashton and Elliot, from the Thames to France. 



c 



124 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The skipper of this craft, it appears, " conceived 
a suspicion that the expedition for which the 
smack had been hired was of a political rather 
than of a commercial nature," and it occurred to 
him that more might be realized by informing 
against his passengers than by performing the ser- 
vice he had been engaged for. 

He accordingly gave information of what was 
going on — probably through the usual channels — 
to the Duke of Leeds, then Lord President, " who 
took his measures with his usual energy and dex- 
terity and put a trusty officer named Billop in 
charge of his eldest son's yacht to intercept Preston 
and his fellow-conspirators." 

Now, it appears that this son of the Duke of 
Leeds was Caermarthen, Earl of Danby, and, as we 
shall presently see, was a friend of Peter the Great. 
According to Macaulay, he was a " bold, volatile, 
and somewhat eccentric young man, fond of the 
sea and lived much among sailors, and was the 
proprietor of a small yacht of marvellous speed." 

Billop and a crew of picked men went down the 
river in the yacht, " as if for the purpose of press- 
ing mariners," and " at dead of night," on New 
Year's Eve, 1691, Preston and his companions 
went on board the smack near the Tower, and 
made sail down the river in "great dread" lest 
they be stopped by the frigate at Greenwich, or by 
the guard at the block-house at Gravesend. Hav- 
ing escaped these difficulties, their spirits naturally 
rose, and their appetites became keen. So they 
unpacked a hamper, containing "roast beef, mince 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 125 

pies, and bottles of wine," and were preparing to 
make merry when the skipper reported that " a 
vessel from Tilbury was flying through the water 
after them." 

This intelligence proved so startling that the 
three jolly conspirators speedily turned in dismay 
from the good cheer spread before them, to a place 
where- safety was the chief consideration. This 
proved to be a hole among the gravel-ballast, into 
which they clambered with alacrity, whereupon the 
hatch-covers were quickly put on and secured. But 
had they known as much as their perfidious skipper, 
they would have saved themselves this trouble ; as 
it is quite probable that this astute mariner, in ad- 
dition to enjoying their discomfiture and his now 
certain prospect of reward, also derived pleasure 
from their mince pies and bottles of wine. 

At all events, Caermarthen's " yacht of marvel- 
lous speed" soon ranged alongside, and " Billop at 
the head of an armed party came on board." The 
hatch-covers were removed, the conspirators ar- 
rested, their clothes examined, and letters seized. 
Failing in their efforts to bribe the incorruptible 
Billop, all were taken on board the yacht, and 
safely landed at Whitehall Stairs in the evening. 

In 1698, Peter the Great came to England in 
pursuit of knowledge relating to naval affairs and 
shipbuilding. Becoming weary of the life in Lon- 
don, he vacated his quarters in Norfolk Street, 
overlooking the Thames, for Sayers Court, the 
estate of John Evelyn, near Deptford. Here he 
worked as a shipwright in the dockyard. Macaulay 



126 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

records that, " Peter gave himself up to his favorite 
pursuits. He navigated a yacht every day up and 
down the river. His apartment was crowded with 
models of three-deckers and two-deckers, frigates, 
sloops, and fire-ships. The only Englishman of 
rank in whose society he seemed to take much pleas- 
ure was the eccentric Caermarthen, whose passion 
for the sea bore some resemblance to his own, and 
who was very competent to give an opinion about 
every part of a ship from the stem to the stern." 

Czar Peter, however, had been a yachtsman long 
before he came to England. It is related that 
" when a boy he was one day walking with Francis 
Timerman, who then lived with him as his tutor, 
about the grounds of Ishmaeloft, an old palace of 
the family near Moscow, when, among other things, 
he happened to notice a boat, and asked Timer- 
man what it was, and how they made use of it. 
His tutor explained that it went with a sail, with 
the wind or against it, which made him greatly 
wonder, and, as though not credible, raised his curi- 
osity to see a proof of it." Carsters Brand, a ship- 
wright from Holland, who had been employed by 
Peter's father, was accordingly directed to repair 
the boat and fit her out. He then sailed up and 
down the Yause, a small river near Moscow, in 
Peter's sight, "which was a great wonder to the 
Czar, and pleased him exceedingly." 

As may be supposed, Peter wished, like any 
other well-regulated boy, to sail this boat himself ; 
and he also considered the waters of the Yause too 
narrow for successful navigation ; so he ordered 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 127 

the boat to be carried into water called the Prussian 
Pond. This proving not much better, he resolved 
to have her taken to the Lake Perestave. By this 
time, his mother, the Czarina, became alarmed and 
endeavored to dissuade him from his intention, but, 
with the ingenuity of youth, Peter contrived to 
have the boat transported to Lake Perestave, and 
then, under pretext of performing a vow in Trinity 
Monastery, prevailed upon his august mother to 
allow him to make the journey. After inspecting 
the lake, he persuaded her to build a house there. 
Eventually Carsters Brand also was established in 
a small shipyard on the shore of the lake, where he 
built two miniature frigates and three small yachts. 
With these Peter diverted himself for a few years. 
In 1694 he visited Archangel, and sailed from there 
in his yacht the St. Peter, for Ponoia, in company 
with the English and French fleet of merchant 
ships under convoy of a Dutch man-of-war, com- 
manded by Captain Jolle Jolson. Peter was so 
delighted with this voyage that he resolved upon 
building a fleet and establishing shipbuilding yards 
on the river Veronez. Shipwrights were sent for 
from Holland, and in 1696 the first naval vessels 
were constructed in Russia. Peter sent great 
numbers of his nobility and gentry into Holland 
and other countries to learn shipbuilding and navi- 
gation. In 1697 he went himself to Holland, and 
there engaged as a workman in a shipbuilding yard 
near Amsterdam, working at all the branches of 
ship-construction, from laying the keel to the bend- 
ing of sails. It is related of him that, while doing 



128 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

some rigging-work one day in the maintopmast 
cross-trees, an ambassador was announced. Peter 
ordered him, much against his will, to climb the 
rigging and pay his respects. The unfortunate 
ambassador upon doing so, found the Czar en- 
throned, with a marlinspike for a sceptre and a tar- 
bucket slung round his neck. 

From Holland Peter went to England on board 
of a British ship-of-war, commanded by Admiral 
Sir David Mitchell. He was greatly interested in 
everything on board, and asked the admiral many 
questions concerning the modes of punishing sea- 
men in the British Navy. When keel-hauling, 
among other things, was mentioned, Peter desired 
that it might be explained to him by actual experi- 
ence. The admiral was obliged to decline the re- 
quest, not then having an offender deserving this 
punishment ; to which the Czar replied, " take one 
of my men." Sir David had some difficulty in 
making the Czar comprehend that all on board his 
ship were under the protection of the laws of Eng- 
land, and that he was accountable for every man 
there according to those laws. This appeared to 
surprise Peter, and he reluctantly abandoned keel- 
hauling as an amusement. At this time the Czar 
was in his twenty-sixth year. 

After remaining in England for about three 
months, Peter returned to Russia, where he took 
upon himself the title of Master Shipwright, and 
made, with his own hands, the model and drawings 
of a I lo-gun ship-of-war, which proved one of the 
best vessels built at that time. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 129 

In 1723 the Czar ordered a grand Naval Review, 
and In June he sailed with his fleet from Revel to 
Cronstadt. When the fleet had assembled, the 
little boat in which he had first sailed on the Yause, 
and which he had caused to be beautifully deco- 
rated, was brought into the fleet on the deck of a 
galliot, and the admirals of the fleet were ordered 
to pay her their respects. The fleet then weighed 
anchor and stood into the haven, except the gal- 
liot, which remained outside. The Czar then made 
a visit with the admirals, and had his boat launched 
from the deck of the galliot, flying the Imperial stan- 
dard. He christened her the Little Grandsire, as 
he regarded this boat as the father of the Russian 
Navy. He then ordered her manned by the three 
senior admirals and the chief surveyor of the Navy, 
Ivan Golovin ; and, steering himself, he sailed into 
the haven, the whole fleet saluting with their guns. 
Then came a splendid banquet, and " the evening 
closed with merriment." 

A few days later the Little Grandsire was taken 
to St. Petersburg and carefully laid away in the 
castle, where she is still preserved. 

Czar Peter died in 1725, in his fifty-third year, 
and the thirty-sixth one of his reign. 

In 1699 the first Eddystone Lighthouse was com- 
pleted. This structure was built by Winstanley, 
who, with others, lost his life when the lighthouse 
was swept away by a severe storm, November 27, 
1703. Rebuilt in 1708, it was finally burnt in 1755. 
In 1759 Smeaton completed the third Eddystone 
Lighthouse. For more than a century it stood, a 



I30 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

monument to his genius, and outlasted the rock 
upon which its foundation was laid. 

During the rebuilding of the first lighthouse a 
French privateer on one occasion captured and 
bore home in triumph all the workmen, with their 
tools, from the rock, France at that time being at 
war with England. When Louis XIV. heard of 
this, he immediately ordered the workmen to be 
released and their captors put in their places, indig- 
nantly remarking that though he was at war with 
England, he was not at war with mankind, and 
that a lighthouse was intended to benefit every 
maritime nation on the earth. 



CHAPTER VII 

GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES 

New York in 1679 — The earliest American schooner -American origin of 
the term — The first American lighthouse — New York in 1717 — The 
yacht Fancy — New York in 1746 — The American lumber trade re- 
stricted to sloops — Influence of this rule upon shipbuilding — Captain 
Schank's sliding keel — American independence — First appearance of 
the American flag in the Orient — Stephen Girard — The Enterprise 
— American sloop — Voyage to China and back — Captain Shackford 
crosses the Atlantic alone — First American vessel to circumnavigate 
the globe — Discovery of the Columbia River — Voyage of the sloop 
Union round the world — North River sloops — The leeboard — First 
American yacht, the Jefferson — Evolution of the centre-board — Cen- 
tre-board patent of 18 11 — Baltimore clippers — Privateers — Frigates — 
The Constitution — Exploits of the American Navy — Life on the ocean. 

AFTER the occupation of New York by the 
British in 1664, most of the Dutch settlers 
continued their residence, and exerted a consider- 
able influence upon the social customs of the time. 
To this day, many of their names and the names 
of their old landmarks are familiar about New 
York. Hence, it seems probable that they con- 
tinued also to build and own yachts, although no 
record of them has been preserved. 

The first schooner built in America, and, no 
doubt, in the world, was constructed by Andrew 
Robinson at Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the year 
1713. As we have seen, two-masted vessels with 
fore-and-aft sails were built in Holland early in the 



132 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

seventeenth century ; but they were not called 
schooners, and they were not schooners as we 
understand the rig. In fact, prior to the above 
date no trace can be found of a schooner. 

Babson's History of Gloucester contains an inter- 
esting account of this vessel : " A current tradition 
of the town (Gloucester) relates the origin of the 
' schooner ' ; and abundant testimony, of both a 
positive and negative kind, confirm the story so 
strongly, that it is unnecessary to take further 
notice here of the verbal account. Dr. Moses 
Prince, brother of the annalist, writing in this 
town September 25, 1721, says: 'Went to see 
Capt. Robinson's lady, etc. This gentleman was 
the first contriver of schooners, and built the first 
of the sort about eight years since ; and the use 
that is now made of them, being so much known, 
has convinced the world of their conveniency be- 
yond other vessels, and shows how mankind is 
obliged to this gentleman for this knowledge.' 
Nearly seventy years afterwards, another visitor 
gives some further particulars of this interesting 
fact. Cotton Tufts, Esq., connected with us by 
marriage, being in Gloucester, September 8, 1 790, 
writes : ' I was informed (and committed the same to 
writing) that the kind of vessels called " schooners " 
derived their name from this circumstance ; viz., 
Mr. Andrew Robinson of that place, having con- 
structed a vessel which he masted and rigged in 
the same manner as schooners are at this day, on 
her going off the stocks and passing into the water, 
a bystander cried out, " Oh, how she scoons." 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 133 

Robinson instantly replied, " A scooner let her 
be." From which time, vessels thus masted and 
rigged have gone by the name of " schooners " ; 
before which, vessels of this description were not 
known in Europe or America.' This account was 
confirmed to me by a great number of persons in 
Gloucester. The strongest negative evidence cor- 
roborates these statements. No marine dictionary, 
no commercial record, no merchant's inventory, of 
a date prior to 1713, containing the word 'schooner,' 
has yet been discovered ; and it may, therefore, be 
received as an historical fact, that the first vessel 
of this class had her origin in Gloucester, as stated 
by the respectable authorities above cited. 

" The result of my explorations in these fields 
may interest some readers. Let us begin at home. 
In the ten years immediately preceding 1713, more 
than thirty sloops were built in the town, but no 
schooner. The first mention of a vessel of this 
class in our records occurs in 1716, when a new 
schooner belonging to the town was cast away at 
the Isle of Sables. In the inventory of the estate 
of John Parsons, who carried on the fishing busi- 
ness, we have, in 1714, '-|^ of a fishing vessel, £iq) ; 
^ of a shallop, ^15; \ of an open sloop, ;^2o'; 
but among the effects of Nathaniel Parsons, de- 
ceased, in 1722, are given 'Scooner Prudent Abi- 
gail, ;^i8o ; scooner Sea Flower, ^83 ; and scooner 
Willing Mind, £^0.' The notes of my examina- 
tion of the Essex Probate Records show, from the 
inventory of Capt. Beamsley Perkins of Ipswich, 
1 72 1, a ' skooner, ^200; small ditto, ^'22'; the 



134 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

first mention of the name I could find there. In 
the next year appears, in the inventory of Capt. 
John Stacy, late of Marblehead, ' a skooner called 
Indian King, ^250.' A day's examination of sev- 
eral volumes of the Suffolk Probate Records ended 
at 1 7 14 with the desired result. No schooner was 
found. In that year was entered the inventory of 
John Wilson, shopkeeper, of Boston, from which I 
copied as follows : ' A sloop lying at Cape Anne 
(i) £A5 ; 3- quarter of another sloop at Cape Anne, 
^45 ; I quarter of the sloop Society, £/^o ; the 
sloop Sea Flower, _;^20 ; one half of a sloop, £y^ ; 
\ part of a sloop, ^25.' The early Boston news- 
papers do not always mention in their marine intel- 
ligence the class to which a vessel reported belongs. 
In looking over imperfect files of these papers, the 
first schooner I found was the Rettcrn, outward 
bound (June, 1718) for Great Britain; the next 
(March, 1720), the Hope, for Virginia; and the 
Phoenix, for Terceira. In 1722 were the schooner 
Hope, for Virginia ; a schooner of about fifty tons, 
taken by pirates at the eastward ; the schooner 
Mary, and schooner Samuel, taken by Captain 
Edward Low, a pirate, near Cape Sable ; and the 
schooner Milton, and schooner Rebeckah. 

" One can imagine the eagerness with which the 
active and inventive mind of Robinson seized upon 
the strange word applied to the peculiar motion of 
his vessel as she glided from the stocks, and the 
delight with which he exclaimed, as — according to 
the custom of the time — he dashed a bottle of rum 
against her bow ' A scooner let her be.' Tradition 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 135 

points to a spot on the wharf of Messrs. Samuel 
Wonson and Sons, then owned by Capt. Robinson, 
as the place where this vessel was built. The 
name given to her was meant at first, probably, to 
be her particular appellation ; but after she was 
' masted and rigged ' in a peculiar manner, which 
was soon adopted by others, she became the type 
of a class, and the designation passed from a pro- 
prietary to a common use. That she was so ' masted 
and rigged,' is evident from the fact that she became 
the type of a class." 




\g!>t- 






BOSTON LIGHT, 1717 



Although the foregoing evidence, both positive 
and negative, appears conclusive, it has been ques- 
tioned by some writers ; yet they have failed to 
produce any record of the existence of a schooner 
prior to 1713. 



136 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The word Schoon, however, is Dutch, and from 
the Dutch-Latin dictionary already referred to, 
published in 1599, we find Schooji — beautiful, fair, 
lovely ; and then follow some thirteen applications 
of the word, but nothing to indicate that it was at 
that time applied to a rig or a vessel. 

In 1 716 the first lighthouse built in North 
America was erected on the Little Brewster, an 
island at the entrance of Boston harbor ; it is 
known throughout the maritime world as Boston 
Light. During the following year William Burgis. 
of London, published an engraving of this light- 
house, in which the tender appears. From it we 
can form an idea of a large sloop of that period. 

In 1 71 7 an engraving of New York harbor also 
was published by William Burgis, dedicated " To 
his Excellency, Robert Hunter, Esq., Captain- 
General and Governor-in-Chief of the Provinces of 
New York, New Jersey, and the Territories de- 
pending thereon in America, and Vice-Admiral of 
the same." The engraving shows several yachts, 
one of which is evidently a Government yacht sa- 
luting, while the other, the index informs us, is 
" Colonel's Morris's Fancy, turning to windward 
with a sloop of common mould." 

This yacht is mentioned in the Memorial History 
of New York, as follows : " Racing on the water 
was not much in fashion, though the gentry had 
their barges, and some their yachts or pleasure 
sail-boats. The most elaborate barge, with awning 
and damask curtains, of which there is mention, was 
that of the Governor Montgomerie, and the most 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 



^n 



noted yacht was the Fancy belonging to Colonel 
Lewis Morris, whose Morrisania Manor, on the 
peaceful waters of the Sound, gave fine harbor and 
safe opportunity for sailing." 

In another view of New York in 1746 the por- 
traits of two sma.ll sloops appear ; one with, what 
may be termed, the old style of rig-staysail and jib ; 
the other with only one head-sail ; so that we may 
infer that about that period the American sloop rig 
was introduced. 




EAHLY AMERICAN SLOOPS, 1746 

It has previously been mentioned that the sloop 
originated in Holland, and, like the yacht, was in- 
troduced into America and England from that 
country. It eventually developed into the British 
cutter and American sloop, and from being a ship's 
boat, it became a seagoing vessel of considerable 
tonnage. Up to the beginning of the nineteenth 



138 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

century the only difference between a cutter and a 
sloop in England was that, while a cutter carried a 
running bowsprit and her jib was set flying, a sloop 
had a standing bowsprit and her jib was set on a 
stay. The evolution of the cutter rig in England 
we shall deal with later. 

In the eighteenth century a large number of 
sloops were built in America, both for trading and 
the fisheries. Some of the larger sloops carried a 
square topsail, topgallant-sail and flying jib. 

In 1 7 14 the sloop Hazard ysF2L5 sent from Eng- 
land to America to carry the news of the acces- 
sion of King George I. to the throne, and orders 
for the Colonial Government. After crossing the 
Atlantic, she was wrecked and lost off Cohasset, 
Massachusetts, November 12th of the same year. 

Before the Revolution, England allowed lumber 
to be imported from her American colonies in 
sloops only. This naturally led to the building of 
sloops of large tonnage; consequently, in 1772, a 
sloop of 140 tons register was built on the Kenne- 
bec River for the timber trade. No doubt, too, 
there were other sloops of almost the same tonnage 
engaged in the Atlantic trade. 

In 1 771 there were 125 sloops sailing on the 
Hudson River between New York and Albany, 
engaged in carrying freight and passengers. 

In 1774 Captain John Schank, R. N. (afterward 
admiral), while stationed at Boston, Massachusetts, 
" in consequence of a hint from his Grace the Duke 
of Northumberland" {Naval Chronicle), built the 
first boat, or vessel, fitted with a sliding keel, as he 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 139 

termed it. It worked vertically through a trunk, 
or Avell, and the keel of the boat, thus embodying 
the principle of the i^aZf^ and lee-board of Holland. 
An illustration of Captain Schank's first boat with 
a sliding keel is here given ; taken from Charnock's 
History of Marine Architecture, published in 1802. 
Captain Schank's invention was not adopted in 
America ; and more than a third of a century 
elapsed before the centre-board was devised. 



In the year 1776 a series of troubles, growing out 
of unjust taxation and other causes, culminated^ 
and resulted in thirteen of Great Britain's most 
prosperous colonies declaring their independence 
of the Mother Country, and founding the United 
States of America. 

It is a matter of history that the rule of Great 
Britain over her American colonies was oppressive 
and at the same time weak, without being concilia- 
tory ; the loyalty and affection of the colonists 
therefore naturally changed into feelings of anger 
and revolt. And yet, when the last act of injus- 
tice had been committed, when the last bitter word 
had been spoken, and the last venomous drop of 
ink had stained the page of history, when the last 
gun had been fired, and the white stars of hope and 



I40 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

peace had replaced the red cross of St. George, 
even then, there remained a bond of union that no 
human power could put asunder — a common birth- 
right in the same laws, language, religion, and an 
equal heritage in art, literature, and science. These 
have endured, while all else has been as the tides 
and currents of the ocean, that divide yet still unite, 
the English-speaking race. 

The close of the War of Independence found 
the financial resources of the young republic in a 
depleted condition. While able men guided the 
affairs of State, the merchants, shipbuilders, and 
seamen turned their attention toward developing 
commerce, and creating a mercantile marine, the 
cheerful ring of the top-maul and the caulking-iron 
soon enlivening the seaports along the Atlantic 
coast ; each in turn became famous for her ships 
and seamen. And although shipbuilding had been 
carried on, to some extent, in colonial times, yet 
with the birth of the new Nation, men wrought 
with new energy and with new purpose. Still, we 
find no record of yachts built or owned in the 
United States until thebecrinnino-of the nineteenth 
century. Notwithstanding, the industry of the 
merchants, and the skill of the shipbuilders and the 
seamen of that period, became the heritage of their 
descendants, enabling them to produce the swiftest 
clipper-ships and yachts that ever sailed the seas. 

The ships of Salem, Massachusetts, were justly 
celebrated. In the year 1788 the ship Atlantic 
of Salem sailed for Surat, Bombay, and Calcutta, — 
the first vessel to carry the American flag to these 



■A' \ ' 



'aws, i: 
t, liteni 

^r all ; 

i-speaking race 

e of the War oi in> 



s, ana 
ified iheir at'n 
Th^^'Iia)^ri^ iJ^'^Georgetown. i®3. 

scon e s along the Atlantic 

:r,:st , ecame famous for her ships 

■ men. i\na ^i'- • '-'-' •■'' ^'-- ' '^d been 
^.,., ...... on, to some ■ -^s. yet 

with the birth of the on, men wrought 

w'ih nev enci'j^y and uicsi new puipose. Still, we 

ned In tlif 
■ .1.. T .,. ('iinr:teen':h 



:c'.ntury. Notwiti 

i .1 chants, and th 

- .imen of that pt 

ndants, enab 

-^hips and ;, 

:'ps of Saler 

i lor ouiciC, 



ipbuilders and u\f 
ge of their 



■S& the ship - 



these 



»,■ '■" 



iff wwr If H^:^iw mn 






n ^ 



f$i'\,%K 



111 ■•'""- 1 




1 ■■"'■ m 






y^\mmm^^j. 



im 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 141 

ports. This was the beginning of a large and 
flourishing trade with the Far East. 

Stephen Girard, who was born near Bordeaux in 
1750, — and who had advanced from cabin-boy to 
captain, — having settled in Philadelphia, built in 
1 79 1 four beautiful ships for the East India and 
China trade ; the Helvetia, Montesquieu, Rousseau, 
and Voltaire. They were long the pride of Phila- 
delphia, and greatly enriched their owner. 

A portrait of the ship Harriet of Georgetown, — 
here given, — done by Groenewegen at Amsterdam 
in the year 1793, may be taken as a type of the 
early American merchant ship. 

American history abounds in records of the ex- 
ploits of the sloops of that period, and these able 
single-masted vessels navigated every sea and 
ocean on the globe. 

In 1783 a Hingham sloop of 40 tons, com- 
manded by Captain Hallet, sailed from Boston for 
China, laden with a cargo of ginseng root. It was 
the custom in those days for vessels bound to and 
from India and China, to call in at the Cape of 
Good Hope for wood, water, and fresh provisions. 
Hallet, accordingly, arriving at the Cape, found 
there a fleet of English East Indiamen, homeward 
bound. The captains all combined and offered 
him two pounds of hyson tea for every pound of 
ginseng root. Hallet at once accepted their offer, 
and sailed for Boston, where he arrived in due 
course, the voyage turning out a very profitable 
one for the owners of the little sloop. 

The first vessel to make the direct voyage to 



142 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

China from the United States was the sloop Enter- 
prise, of 80 tons, built at Albany, N. Y., and com- 
manded by Captain Stewart Dean. She sailed 
from New York, December 15, 1785, having a crew 
of seven men and two boys. She returned to New 
York during the following year, and, notwithstand- 
ing the then recent war and natural interests of 
trade, it is pleasant to record that the officials of 
the English East India Company at Canton, im- 
pressed by the novelty and boldness of the expedi- 
tion, received Dean and his companions with every 
kindness and hospitality. 

In 1786 Captain Josiah Shackford of Ports- 
mouth, N. H., was engaged to take a vessel from 
Surinam to Bordeaux ; and upon his arrival the 
owners were so pleased with his management of 
their interests, that they presented him with a sloop 
of 15 tons in which to return to Surinam. 

Shackford, it appears, shipped a crew of two 
men, and, accompanied by his dog, sailed from Bor- 
deaux ; but when outside the harbor, his crew be- 
came alarmed, and were put on board of a pilot 
boat. Happily rid of these useless Abraham men, 
Shackford and his dog continued their voyage in 
peace, arriving at Surinam — a distance of about 
3600 miles — in thirty-five days. 

September 30, 1787, the ship Columbia, 212 tons, 
commanded by Captain John Kendrick, and the 
sloop Washington, or Lady Washington, as she was 
later named, of 90 tons, commanded by Captain 
Robert Gray, sailed from Boston, bound round 
Cape Horn to the northwest coast of America. A 



sant to re* 

y , 111)- 



The Columbia and Washington, 1787. 



-in thi 



Jagr 




THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 143 

representation of the medal that was struck to com- 
memorate the departure of these vessels, is here 
given. They arrived off the northwest coast of 
America, after being separated ofT the Horn in a 
hurricane, on April i, 1788, latitude 57° 57' S. ; 
longitude 92° 40' W. Both crews were nearly ex- 
hausted from severe cold and exposure. After 
trading along the coast, the Columbia proceeded 
under command of Gray to Canton ; thence to 
Boston; where she arrived August 10, 1790, amid 




great rejoicings, — the first American vessel to cir- 
cumnavigate the globe. The Washington, under 
command of Captain Kendrick, crossed the Pacific 
several times, visiting China and the Hawaiian 
Islands, where Kendrick was accidentally killed 
in 1793. After many adventures the Washhigton 
was wrecked and lost during the same year in the 
Straits of Malacca. A portrait of these two vessels 
is here given ; copied from a sketch by Robert 
Haswell, third officer of the Columbia. During 
the latter part of her career the Washington was 
rigged as abrigantine ; and on a subsequent voyage 



1 44 THE HIS TOR Y OF YA CHTING 

the Columbia, still under command of Grey, discov- 
ered " the great river of the West," which bears 
her name. 

August 28, 1794, the sloop Union, 98 tons, com- 
manded by Captain John Boit, sailed from New- 
port, R. I., for a voyage around the globe. It was 
successfully accomplished. Boit had been an officer 
on board the Columbia during her second voyage 
of discovery, and when he took command of the 
Union was only twenty-one years of age. The fol- 
lowing is an extract from his journal written at the 
time : 

" The sloop Union was fitted out in Newport, 
R. I., for a voyage to the North West coast of 
America, China, Isle of France and back to Boston. 
She was completely overhauled during the months 
of July and August, and on the 28th of August 
dropped into Coasters Harbor. Stores and provi- 
sions were taken aboard for a three years' cruise, 
besides a cargo of sheet copper, bar iron, blue 
cloth, blankets, trinkets, and other articles suitable 
for traffic with the North West Indians for furs. 
The sloop was completely fitted out for the voyage 
with a crew of 22 in number. Had good quarters, 
mounting lo-carriage guns, 6 & 3 pounders & 
eight swivels on the rails." 

In closing his account of the voyage Captain 
Boit remarks, " During this voyage which lasted 
22^ rrfonths the crew enjoyed good health. No 
doubt the care that was taken to keep them clean 
and to fumigate their berths was the best preven- 
tation for the scurvy that could possibly have been 



)op Un 
Boit, 

■ound I: - -, 

)it had been an 



vvlicn lie toolc co. 
,,ii,; L.venty-one years of : 
n extract from his joiirna] 



OL me 
:„- fol- 



Union was fi 
The Uniome Npatte Sowid, 1795. 
, .^ie of France and back 
ately overhauled during ' 



X into L-oa 
■•" taken 
cargo 

Kets, trtnkt 
a- traffic with th 
'ie sloop was cor 
"h. n. crew of :::2 



-^th of August 



oar iroi 
r articles suito 



22^ rrfont 

iloi'bi' ■ 



ed good healt 
as tak' 
berths wj 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 145 

adopted. I believe the Union was the first sloop 
that ever circumnavigated the globe. She proved 
to be an excellent seaboat, and was a very safe ves- 
sel. Still I think it too great a risque to trust to 
one mast on such a long voyage, when a small brig 
would answer on the N. W. Coast as well. The 
Cargo came out in fine order and I received great 
gratification in the idea that my conduct through 
the voyage had been very satisfactory to the owners, 
and although my voyage was not so lucrative as 
was contemplated at the commencement, owing to 
the rise of skins on the N. W. coast and fall of the 
same at Canton, still upon the whole it was a saving 
voyage. No vessel that left Canton in company 
with the Union made so quick a passage, although 
we were detained a fortnight at the Isle of France. 
She rarely exceeded 130 knots a day, though once 
northbound in the Pacific with a strong wind 
abeam and following sea, fine weather, under all 
sail she logged 168 and 188 knots for two consecu- 
tive days." 

The Union arrived at Boston July 8, 1796. She 
was owned by Crowell Hatch and Caleb Gardner, 
merchants of Boston. Captain Boit was born in 
Boston, 1 773 ; he was the son of John Boit, a well- 
known Boston merchant and ship-owner. 

The Union was the first, and probably the only 
sloop that has ever circumnavigated the globe— it 
will be remembered that the Spray made the greater 
part of her voyage rigged as a yawl, when com- 
manded by that justly-famous seaman and navigator, 
Captain Joshua Slocum. 



146 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Other Instances might be cited showing the ex- 
cellent seagoing qualities of the sloops of this early 
period — the worthy ancestors of the famous Ameri- 
can centre-board sloops of the nineteenth century. 
^ In 1780 five Albany capitalists formed a com- 
pany and built the sloop Experiment. She was 
handsomely fitted for carrying passengers between 
Albany and New York, and proved so successful, 
that in 1787 the company built another sloop of 
the same type and for the same purpose. In 18 10 
there were 206 sloops running regularly between 
New York and Albany. 

At this period, nearly all the Hudson River 
sloops carried lee-boards. The centre-board had 
not then come into existence ; and in the keen and 
continual rivalry on the river these sagacious old- 
time traders availed themselves of the lee-board, it 
being especially adapted to the navigation of the 
Hudson. 

In the year 1801 the yacht yefferson, 22 -^ tons, 
was built at Salem, Massachusetts, by Christopher 
Turner, for Captain George Crowninshield, of 
Salem. Her length was 35 feet 10 inches ; breadth, 
12 feet 4 inches ; depth, 6 feet, and was first rigged 
as a schooner and afterward as a sloop. She was 
used by Captain Crowninshield as a yacht until the 
breaking out of the War of 181 2, when she was 
armed and was the second vessel commissioned 
by the United States Government as a privateer. 
The yefferson was commanded by Captain John 
Kehew, and carried a crew of thirty men. She 
captured the Nymph — the second prize of the war 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 147 

— and two other prizes, but was found too small for 
this service. She remained the property of the 
Crowninshields until 181 5, when she was sold for a 
fishing vessel and finally broken up at Lynn. This 
little vessel is believed to have been the first yacht 
that sailed under the American flag. 

Here we find the beginning of a custom that 
continued both in the United States and Great 
Britain until the last quarter of the nineteenth cen- 
tury — the disposing of yachts after their days of 
giving pleasure had ended — to fishermen and pilots. 
They proved useful vessels ; for, though built for 
speed, they were well constructed and rigged and 
safe for sea-voyages — the type of vessel a seaman 
likes. 

There has been a good deal of controversy as to 
who first devised the centre-board. Whoever it 
was he really is not entitled to much credit for 
originality, as the centre-board is simply the lee- 
board of Holland substituted for the sliding keel 
in the trunk, or well, used by Schank. It seems 
highly probable that many different persons may 
have adopted this idea at the same time, and that a 
number of small boats and skiffs were probably 
fitted with the centre - board ; but the first authentic 
record of the centre - board is a model made by Mr. 
Molyneux Shuldham, R. N., in iSog^while a pris- 
oner of war at Verdun — still to be seen in the 
museum at Ipswich, England. This "revolving keel," 
as Shuldham called it, is hung on a bolt like the lee- 
board, and works in a trunk similar to Schank's, the 
trunk being lined with copper ribs, thereby adding 



148 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

strength and reducing friction. For decked vessels 
Shuldham proposed a revolving keel of lead, which, 
of course, was to be lowered and raised by a pur- 
chase attached to the after-end. At that time it 
does not appear that any vessel constructed in 
Europe was fitted with the revolving keel. 

In 1811 Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain, and Joshua 
Swain, of Cape May, N. J., applied for and received 
a patent for the centre-board, or, as they called it, 
"a lee board through the bottom." The following 
are the official papers relating to the matter : 

"the united states of AMERICA. • 

" To all to whom these Letters Patent shall coTne : 

" Whereas, Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain and 
Joshua Swain, citizens of the United States, have 
alleged that they have invented a new and useful 
improvement in the lee board, which improvement 
they state has not been known or used before their 
application, and have affirmed that they do verily 
believe that they are the true inventors or dis- 
coverers of said improvement, have paid into the 
Treasury of the United States the sum of $30, 
delivered a receipt for the same, and presented a 
petition to the Secretary of State signifying a desire 
of obtaining an exclusive property in the said 
improvement and praying that a patent may be 
granted for that purpose. 

" These are therefore to grant according to law, 
to the said Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain and Joshua 
Swain, their heirs, administrators or assigns for the 
terms of fourteen years from the tenth day of 



•Ar'A V- ,.-!■■ ,,;[- 



'■■n^h.d -David Porter. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 149 

April, 181 1, the full and exclusive right and liberty 
of making, constructing, using and vending to 
others to be used, the said improvement ; a 
description whereof is given in the words of the 
said Jacocks Swain, Henry Swain and Joshua 
Swain themselves, in the schedule hereunto annexed 
and is made a part of these presents. 

"In testimony whereof, I have caused these let- 
ters to be made patent and the seal of the United 
States to be hereunto affixed. 

" Given under my hand at the City of Washing- 
ton, this tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord 
one thousand eight hundred and eleven, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the 
thirty-fifth. 

"James Madison. 

" By the President, Jas. Monroe, Secretary of 
State." 

" City of Washington, to wit : 

"I do hereby certify that the foregoing letters 
patent were delivered to me on the tenth day of 
April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight 
hundred and eleven, to be examined ; that I have 
examined the same and find them conformable 
to law ; and I do hereby return the same to the Sec- 
retary of State within fifteen days from the date 
aforesaid, to wit : on this tenth day of April, in the 
year aforesaid. 

" C. A. Rodney, Attorney-General of the U. S." 

The schedule referred to in these letters patent, 



I50 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

and that makes part of the same, contains a descrip- 
tion, in the words of the same Jacocks Swain, 
Henry Swain, and Joshua Swain themselves, of 
their new invented lee-board : 

" The vessel that is intended to be built with a lee 
board through the bottom, the keel must be worked 
wide in the middle so as to give sufficient strength 
after the mortise is worked through for the lee 
board to pass ; then there must be two pieces of 
timber worked the same thickness that the mortise 
is through the keel, and wide enough to be suf- 
ficiently strong, and one set at the forward end, the 
other at the after end of such mortise and let down 
into the keel two-thirds of the depth through, so as 
to stand on a square from the keel and bolted into 
the keel ; then a rabbet is to be cut on each side of 
said mortise in the keel, of the same of the width 
thickness of the plank that is intended to plank 
up the sides of the sheath for said lee board, and 
deep enough into the keel to spike into the frame ; 
then fit down a plank on each rabbet and spike them 
in the first mentioned timbers and the lower part of 
the sheath is formed, then after the floor ribbands 
of the vessel are run, then fit in knees enough on 
each side of said sheath to make it sufficiently 
strong, running from the floor heads to the aforesaid 
plank, from thence by plumb line high enough to 
tennant into a coming fitted into the beams, then 
when the deck frame is fit up, plank on each side to 
the deck, fitting the frame tight to beams ; then in 
planking up the intermediate space plank may be 
trunneled on every other one, leaving one end of 



■shua Swain ^ 




is intt 




-.^.-,., 




uugh !■ 






ces of 



Kca til- 



Tlxe ttolpliin. 

tiiicKness i-icci to piaiik 

.ad spil- 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 151 

the opening an inch or two wider than the other 
end, and then when the shutters are put in, by 
working them large and driving them in end fore- 
most, it may be sufficiently tight without any 
caulking. 

"The lee board is made as follows: It is to be 
made of two thicknesses of plank, laid together 
crossing each other enough to make it sufficiently 
strong, and thick enough to play through the afore- 
said mortise and haul up into the said sheath 
whenever necessary, and wide enough to fill up said 
sheath from near the bottom of the keel to the beam 
that passes across the top of the said sheath, and 
the length agreeable to the length of the said 
sheath, with the after end swept off on a true sweep 
from the bolt hole that it hangs on ; said bolt hole 
to hang it by, is to be four-fifths from the after end 
and near enough to the bottom for a true sweep 
that strikes, the forward end to strike the bottom 
and worked off to the same ; it is to be hung on 
a bolt sufficiently strong, passing through one pair 
of the aforesaid knees, with a head on one side and 
a forelock on the other, high enough to fetch the 
bottom within the keel with a clasp and thimble 
riveted on the upper side of the after end for the 
purpose of a lanyard or tackle to be made fast 
to hoist it into the sheath and when necessary 
the top of the sheath, the after part to pass through 
the deck with a check fitted at the after end of the 
frame, with a sheave in it for the lanyard to pass 
through for the purpose of hoisting it up, and to 
make the said sheath sufficiently strong there must 



152 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

be a keelson run on each side of the frame and 
bolted through the aforesaid knees into the keel. 

Jacocks Swain, 
Henry Swain, 
Joshua Swain. 

Witnesses: Elijah Townsend, John Townsend." 

This so-called " lee board through the bottom " is 
the centre-board very much as it exists to-day, and 
is the first record to be found in America in which it 
is described. Shuldham and the Swains, who, no 
doubt, worked quite independently of one another, 
seem fairly entitled to whatever credit may be due 
to this combination of the Dutch lee-board and 
well, or trunk, of Schank. 

In the history of Rockland County, New York, 
Dr. Green, the author, states that the first centre- 
board vessel of any size built in America, if not in 
the world, was constructed at Nyack-on-the-Hud- 
son, in 1815, by Henry Gesnor, for Jeremiah 
Williamson ; and notwithstanding the predictions 
that her failure would be certain and immediate, the 
sloop, which was named the Advance, was in active 
service for many years, and proved a good and fast 
vessel. 

The first schooner, as we have seen, was built at 
Gloucester, in 1713, and the rig soon became a 
favorite one in the United States. The fishing ves- 
sels of Massachusetts Bay held to the original fore- 
and-aft rig, which is used by them at the present 
day ; but the larger schooners of that period were 
usually rigged with square topsails. Another rig 
was the brigantine, square-rigged at the fore, and 



':l .■iOqqiD _l. i-rrjjl,. 






HISTORY OF YACHTIMO 

the aforesaid knees into the keel. 
jACOCKS Swain, 
.Y Swain, 
jusuUA Swain. 
, . Elijah Townsend, John Townsend." 
called "lee board through the bottom" is 
the cc-ntre-board very much as it exists to-day, and 
irst record to be found in America in which it 
u scribed. Shuldham and the Swains, who, no 
doubt, worked quite independently of one another, 
s(;eni fairly entitled to whatever credit may be due 
mbination of the Dutch lee-board and 
irunk, of Schank. 

iie histc^yMti^9S;jSli0P6-ouA§^f -New; York, 

Dr. Green, the author, states that the first centre- 
board vessel of any size built in America, if not in 
the world. Was constructed at Nyack-on-the-Hud- 
son, in- 1815, by Henry Gesnor, for Jeremiah 
Williamson; and notwithstanding th-fe predictions 
that her failure would be certain and immediate, the 
sloop, which was ; ' ' ' ' '\ was in active 

service for man-- - good and fast 

vessel. 

T'.e first schoo ^^n, was built at 

Gloucester, in 17 oon became a 

favorite one in the l luc . The fishing ves- 

stl-^ ci Massachusetts , Id to the original fore- 
and-aft rig, which is used by them at the present 
day ; but the larger schooners of that period were 
usually rigged with square topsails. Another rig 
• ;^ '■'■>''> bricrantip'=' ■^nn-i i^-rlo-p-f^rl at the fore, and 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 153 

schooner at the main ; while the original fore-and- 
aft rig was sometimes used on schooners of con- 
siderable tonnage for those days. 

The Baltimore clippers of that period, usually 
rigged as topsail schooners, enjoyed a well-earned 
reputation for speed and weatherly qualities. And 
the enormous profits resulting from the slave-trade, 
became an incentive to improvements in model and 
rig. Many of these schooners sailed under the flags 
of Spain and Portugal, but the war of 18 12 between 
the United States and Great Britain furnished in 
privateering an irresistible stimulant to the ship- 
owners, shipwrights, and seamen of the seaports 
along the Atlantic coast. It was during this war 
that the Baltimore clippers achieved a world-wide 
reputation. Their models and rig were adopted at 
home ; and after the war they became the standard 
of excellence in the Royal Navy and in the Yacht 
Club of England. Allusions to their long, low, 
black hulls and slender, raking masts have embel- 
lished and enlivened many a song and story. 

The portraits of three of these famous vessels 
are here given : the David Porter showing the fore- 
and-aft rig; and the topsail schooner Dolphin, — 
both privateers, — and an unknown brigantine, prob- 
ably a slaver or a privateer, to judge from the sail 
she has set to keep out of range of the guns of the 
frigate chasing her. 

The lines of a Virginia privateer of 181 2-1 5 
are here given, and may be taken as a type of the 
Baltimore clipper of that period, showing a round, 
easy bow and midship section, with a long, clean 



154 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

afterbody, raking masts and stern post ; also the 
lines of a Chesapeake pilot boat of 1812, showing 
the same type. The dimensions of the privateer 
are as follows : Length on deck, 81 feet 4 inches ; 
keel, 60 feet 7^ inches; breadth (extreme) 22 feet 

2 inches; (moulded), 21 feet 10 inches; depth of 
hold, 8 feet 6 inches; burden in tons, 158^. Di- 
mensions of the pilot boat : length on deck, 56 feet ; 
keel, 42 feet 9 inches; breadth (extreme), 15 feet 

3 inches; (moulded), 15 feet; burden in tons, 52|-|. 
The War of 181 2 demonstrated, as probably 

nothing else could, the wonderful progress the 
United States had made during the thirty-six years 
of its independence. And the exploits of her frig- 
ates, together with the skill and daring of her sea- 
men, became the wonder and admiration of Europe 
as well as of her own people. In addition, these 
splendid vessels became object lessons for the 
British Admiralty. 

The Consiiiuiton is perhaps the most celebrated 
vessel ever owned in the United States Navy, and 
it is to be hoped that this noble ship may long con- 
tinue to be preserved as a memorial to the gallant 
seamen who contributed to her renown. Her por- 
trait — painted by Salisbury Tackerman — here re- 
produced, represents her on July i8th, 18 12, while 
being chased by a British fleet, composed of the 
Africa, 74 guns ; Shannon, 38 guns ; Guerriire, 38 
guns ; Belvidera, 36 guns ; ^olus, 32 guns, and 
Nautilus, 14 guns. The memorable escape of the 
Constitution from this formidable squadron and the 
admirable manner in which she was handled by 



'mensions of tb 
:h on deck, 81 feet 4 inches ; 
.^ inciies; breadth (extreme) 22 feer 

..'.lA -.ri'\ -^ •' ■-• -o inches; drr.th of 
: tons, 158:, 

\ deck, 56 feet; 
eet 9 inch'.- -i«-h (extreme), 15 '^ ^ 

s proba. . 
M- th. ogress the 



'X years 

ler ' 

The Cotistitution. f \. 

■ -. 1 -■. ■', ■ i ' . 1 ■ I ' 1 ill. I 



ji iier ^■■■ 



:jns. ar. 




A VIRGINIA PRIVAiEER, 1812-15 




A CHESAPEAKE PILOT BOAT, 1812 



155 



156 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Captain Isaac Hull, his officers and crew, form one 
of the many brilliant exploits recorded in the naval 
history of the United States. 

This famous vessel may be taken as a represen- 
tative type of the American frigate of that period, 
six of which were ordered by Congress to be con- 
structed at different ports, as follows : 

Constitution, 44 guns, Boston ; President, 44 
guns. New York ; United States, 44 guns, Phila- 
delphia ; Chesapeake, 38 guns, Portsmouth, Va.; 
Constellation, 38 guns, Baltimore ; Co7igress, 38 
guns, Portsmouth, N. H. 

All were built from models and designs by 
Joshua Humphreys of Philadelphia, and the most 
capable shipbuilders in the country were consulted 
and employed. At the breaking out of the War of 
18 1 2 the United States Government owned a small 
fleet, consisting of the following vessels : 

New York, 36 guns ; Essex, 32 guns ; Adams, 
28 guns ; Boston, 28 guns ; John Adams, 28 guns ; 
Wasp, 18 guns; Hornet, 18 guns; Argus, 16 guns; 
Siren, 16 guns ; Oneida, 16 guns ; Vixen, 14 guns ; 
Nautilus, 14 guns ; Enterprise, 14 guns ; Viper, 
12 guns; in all twenty vessels including a few 
small gunboats. 

Of the foregoing, the New York and the Boston 
were unseaworthy ; the Oneida was on Lake On- 
tario ; while the Adams required extensive repairs 
before she could proceed to sea, thus reducing 
the effective fleet of the United States Navy to 
sixteen vessels. At this period the Royal Navy of 
Great Britain numbered one thousand and sixty 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 157 

sail. Of these, between seven and eight hundred 
were well-equipped sea-going vessels. Opposed to 
this gigantic naval power, the little squadron of 
the United States was in almost the same relative 
position that the scanty navy of England had 
found itself in the reisfn of Oueen Elizabeth, when 
it was threatened by the imposing Armada of 
Spain. And, like England in her defense against 
Spain, the United States gathered her gallant sons 
and sent them out upon the ocean to attack the 
flag of Great Britain whenever and wherever it 
could be found upon the sea. Side by side with 
the memorable naval battles that illumine the pages 
of American history, on the lakes and on the sea, 
stand the heroic exploits of the privateers and 
their intrepid commanders and crews. From the 
record of Lloyd's, London, it appears that the 
American privateers captured during this short 
war of three years one thousand three hundred 
and forty-five British vessels. And Mr. Baring, 
M.P., rose in his place in the House of Commons 
and complained that " American privateers came 
into the Chops of the Channel and carried off 
British vessels, without the ability of the Admiralty 
Board to stop them." It also was stated that Cap- 
tain Allen, in the brig Argus, committed more 
devastation in the English and St. George's chan- 
nels than any hostile squadron that ever sailed out 
of a French port. And although this is but one 
instance of the skill and daring of these unique 
American seamen, many more could be cited. 
The American sea-captains of that period were 



158 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

men of intelligence and refinement. They were 
accomplished seamen, navigators, and merchants ; 
and many of them, after retiring from the sea, rose 
to eminence and wealth. They were the first to 
demonstrate that the command of a merchantman 
was a position that any gentleman might be proud 
to hold. Of the same type were their officers and 
crews : bright, clean-minded, clear-eyed young fel- 
lows, learning to become captains, with cousins 
and aunts to welcome them when they returned 
home after their India and China voyages. And 
this high character among American merchant- 
seamen continued until the breaking out of the 
Civil War in 1861, the names of some of the old- 
est and best families in the United States being 
found up to that time on the shipping articles of 
Indiamen and China clippers sailing from the ports 
of Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. 
Among the old families of New England it was by 
no means uncommon for one son to be an under- 
graduate at Harvard or Yale, while another was 
either far away in India or China before the mast, 
or an ofiicer on board a crack New York or Boston 
clipper ship. 

The ships, too, were worthy of their officers and 
crews, and held the record for speed ; while the 
reputation of both were so high that underwriters 
were eager to have them on their books, and ship- 
pers were content to pay from twenty to thirty per 
cent, higher rates for freight than to the ships of 
other nations. 

Those were the days when canvas, hemp, and 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 159 

wood had reached their highest limit of development 
upon the ocean ; when captains with speaking 
trumpets commanded their ships from the quarter- 
deck. In those days ships carried single topsails 
with four reef-bands, studding sails, ringtails, water- 
sails and sky-sails, when 

" A yaiikee clipper and yankee crew, 
A yankee mate and captain too " 

were picturesque and even romantic objects of in- 
terest, which so many New England boys were 
unable to resist, and whose influence continued 
strong in after life ; for the love of a ship and the 
sea once implanted is rarely, if ever, uprooted. 

In what, then, does this pleasure of being on the 
ocean in a finely-equipped, well-manned and com- 
manded sailing vessel really consist ? One might 
answer : In what does the pleasure of anything 
really consist ? Speaking broadly, and in a general 
way, it may be said that freedom from the countless 
vexations and worries of land is a negative pleas- 
ure ; while in the comparatively small community of 
a ship, system, order, and the relative duties, rights 
and privileges of every person on board are de- 
fined, and the friction, the everlasting scramble, and 
the hurly-burly of land are unknown. Yet this life 
of social repose is enlivened by adventure ; by the 
strong contrasts of work and rest, and by hardships 
even ; which, ended, enhance the moment of happi- 
ness ; while the ever changing conditions of the 
winds and waves are a constant interest. The near- 
ness to the forces and glories of nature, the 
awful majesty of the hurricane is inspiring, as the 



i6o THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

ship, stripped of her canvas, with naked spars, held 
between earth and sky in the strong grasp of the 
mighty ocean, wages her battle amid the wild waves 
and pitiless blast of the whirlwind. And this sub- 
lime solitude is never loneliness ; for, on the ocean 
one is never less alone than when alone, and the 
absolute stillness and quiet when the winds and 
waves are at rest are peace to the soul. After 
months passed on the ocean the sweetest joy the 
seaman ever knows is the first faint perfume from 
the land, sweetening the odor of the brine. If his 
ship be homeward bound — shortening the distance 
and cleaving her way from horizon to horizon 
with all the canvas her spars and rigging will stand, 
— the first green water, coasting craft, taking a 
pilot, the lighthouse, the rattling of the cable 
through the hawse-pipe as the anchor grasps the 
land, laying aloft for the last time to stow the sails, 
the church bells of his native town, are joys to 
the seaman's heart no words' can tell. " Home" — 
it is a word no landsman can ever know the full 
meaning of. 



CHAPTER VIII 

YACHTING UNDER THE FOUR GEORGES 

The Bolton — Princess Augusta — First Sailing Match on the Thames — The 
cutter rig — The Swift and Nimble — The ketch and lugger rigs of 
France — Purchase of American schooners for the British Navy — The 
Chebucco boats — Thames rowing races — The Lord Mayor's aquatic 
procession to Westminster — The yacht Catherine — Cork Harbor Water 
Club — Its complete sailing orders. 

IT is much to be regretted that Pepys and Evelyn 
left no successors in the art of recording every- 
day events of interest at the time of their occur- 
rence, else we should know far more of yachting 
history in England during the eighteenth century 
than is now possible. In Charles II. we miss a 
kingly patron of yachting in Great Britain. And 
one does not appear again until more than a cen- 
tury has elapsed, — King William IV. At his own 
request, on July 4, 1833, he became the patron of 
"The Royal Yacht Squadron," and to it he gave 
its name. This name the renowned club still bears. 
However, despite the absence of royal favor, and 
though the records are scanty, there was, as we 
shall presently see, a good deal of yachting in 
Great Britain during the eighteenth century. For, 
once established, yachting is a sport so congenial 
to the English-speaking race, it is probable it will 
continue always. And while racing has become 
the prominent feature of yachting, to the true 

161 



1 62 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

yachtsman it is but a part, and, perhaps not, the 
most important. Moreover, yachting is a sport 
by no means confined to one yacht gaining mastery 
over others in point of speed ; but to that grander 
mastery upon the sea, over tides, head winds, fierce 
waves, and over oneself in calms and fogs. And 
though these triumphs may not be heralded by 
guns, steam whistles, and brass bands, or witnessed 
by throngs on board of excursion steamboats, they 
are still the essence of yachting, giving, as they do, 
keen enjoyment at the moment, and remembered 
in after years with pride and pleasure. 

In 1709 the royal yacht Bolton was built at 
Portsmouth : length, 53 feet 2 inches ; breadth, 14 
feet 6 inches ; depth, 7 feet 6 inches ; 42 tons ; and 
in 1 710 the royal yacht. Princess Augusta, was 
built at Deptford by J. Allen ; length of gun deck, 
73 feet 8 inches; keel, 57 feet 7^ inches; breadth, 
22 feet 6| inches ; depth, 9 feet 6 inches ; 155 tons, 
8 guns ; and she carried a crew of 40 men. This 
yacht was rebuilt in 1770 at Deptford and length- 
ened 7 feet. What her rig was up to that time is 
uncertain, but she appeared as a ship at that date. 
Her portrait is here given. King George III. 
attended the naval review at Spithead on board of 
her June 22, 1773; and on April 5, 1795, Princess 
Caroline of Brunswick, who had crossed from Cux- 
haven to the Thames on board the frigate Jupiter, 
embarked on board the Princess Augusta at the 
Nore, and proceeded up the river to Greenwich. 
" Her Royal Highness, attended by Lord Malmes- 
bury, Mrs. Harcourt, and Commodore Payne, went 



.o^'^i iUiidoi'l .oixj JiiuM .sAv,«^_iV 



i5| 



i6 



V'' 



it gaining mast- 



spcci. 



s and fo'^s. A 
icse triumphs -may not be h 

\nds, or wiiue.s 



iibered 



rli, 7 feet 6 inches,; ,4^, tons ; i 
Prmfff^^4»^ff,i^"y::,^^'^\M}?.- ^^^^lult 1770. 



The 

• uiic at ] It 



.a oi gi' 



\.irht was itI-h 

1.T 



of 40 men 
ptford and Icu;. 
up to, that '■ - 
shin at tl. 



attend 



board 



ithead i 



ff:~ini ( 



d the 



/ 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 163 

in the barge on board the Princess Augusta 
yacht : when the standard was hoisted at the main- 
top, and Commodore Payne's broad pennant floated 
at the foretop. As the Princess passed Woolwich, 
the whole band of the royal regiment of artillery 
played ' God Save the King,' and the military 
cheered the standard. It was the first burst of 
loyalty her Royal Highness had heard on English 
ground, and it drew from her tears of joy. About 
noon the Augusta yacht reached Greenwich, when 
the Princess embarked in the barge, steered as 
before by Lieutenant Mainwaring, and landed on 
the right of the stairs, in front of the Hospital ; 
where she was received by Sir Hugh Palliser, the 
Governor." — Naval Chronicle. The Princess Au- 
gusta appears in the Navy List of 1800 as being laid 
up at Deptford. She was subsequently broken up. 
The first open sailing match on the Thames, of 
which any record appears, was sailed during the 
summer of 1749, and was won by the Princess Aii- 
gusta, a small yacht or pleasure boat owned by 
George Bellas, a Register in Doctors Commons. 
The course was from Greenwich to the Nore and 
return ; the prize being a silver cup presented by 
the Prince of Wales, afterward King George HL 
It appears that this youthful patron of sport had 
already presented a cup which was rowed for from 
Whitehall to Putney, in celebration of his eleventh 
birthday, on June 4th, of the same year, when it 
was intimated that he might also present a prize to 
be sailed for by yachts or pleasure boats on the 
Thames. 



1 64 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

A short account of this sailing match was pub- 
lished at the time in the Geritlemari s Magazine, 
which records that twelve vessels started though 
not mentioning their names, but relates that the 
Princess Augusta "in the going down to Woolwich 
was a mile before the rest, and at the Hope three 
miles, but in coming up by the shifting of the winds 
and the situation they were all in, two shot by her 
at Gravesend ; notwithstanding which she came in 
first by ten minutes, which was the next day at 
forty minutes past two in the afternoon. The 
Prince of Wales with five or six attendants in his 
Chinese barge and the rowers in Chinese habits 
drove gently before for some time and a crowd of 
boats about him, the people frequently huzzaing, 
at which he pulled off his hat. It was almost a 
perfect calm and not the least damage happened, 
though the river seemed overspread with sailing 
yachts, galleys, and small boats " ; also, that Mr. 
Bellas " on receiving the prize generously gave the 
value of it among the men that had worked the 
boat." 

Naturally, this race probably attracted unusual 
attention to yachting on the Thames, from the fact 
that the prize sailed for was given by Prince George, 
and it is pleasant to think of this lad of royal birth 
— too young himself to take part in rowing or sail- 
ing — yet finding pleasure in giving enjoyment to 
others. From the account of this race it would 
appear that there must have been a number of 
pleasure-boats or small yachts owned on the Thames 
at that period, and possibly other matches may 



VMS 



ilates that 

" m the iioiiiy aown t ' ' 

o o 

• v-.e the rest, ?"'^ ■ he -..>. - 
comin,cr "P by ti: ig of tJ 

e situation ere all in, two she 

vesend ; notwithstanding which she caai' 
-u-,1 uy ten minutes. •■■-■-'■ ■■ - •' - • - - ' 
fortv minnt-^s oast 



arge a: 



A 'Dutch C'uttter and Schoonen i/^o. ' 



leasant v. 



happened, 
d with saili ■ 



•orked the 



^.eorge. 

royal birth 

or sail- 



■ ^ i-v f- r < -\ 



iiere must 



1 lumber 
led on the Thames 




K/ 



m 



'4 



,<^f'# 









/./A' 



fj^J'WAiiA 



«. Jj^: 



-'•^■" <' ^,/--s 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 165 

have been sailed at about that time, of which no 
record has been preserved. 

It is difficult to determine the exact date of the 
introduction of the cutter rig into England. And 
while various English writers have described it 
as the " national rig " — which was quite true in the 
nineteenth century — it did not originate in Eng- 
land. It was, indeed, a slow, gradual evolution of 
the Sloepe rig of Holland, by the addition of a gaff, 
boom, and topmast, but retaining the running bow- 
sprit. When the bowsprit was fixed, or standing, 
the name " sloop " was still retained. 

There is no evidence that the cutter rig was 
introduced into England prior to 1761. And it 
is clear that the royal yachts in England were 
not rigged as cutters at this period. Falconer s 
Marine Dictionary, published in 1771, defines a 
ketch as follows : 

" A vessel equipped with two masts, viz., a main- 
mast and mizzenmast, and usually from 100 to 
200 tons burden. Ketches are principally used as 
yachts, or as bomb-vessels, the former of which are 
employed to convey princes of the blood, ambassa- 
dors, or other great personages from one port 
to another and the latter are used to bombard cita- 
dels, or towns, or other fortresses." In 1745 the 
portrait of one of the royal yachts, painted by 
Monamy and engraved by Canot, was published by 
John Bowles, London. It is here reproduced, 
showing a ketch-rigged yacht of that period. 
Nowhere do we find royal yachts in England rigged 
as cutters during the eighteenth century, although 



1 66 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

the cutter rig was used on private yachts, smug- 
glers, and in the Royal Navy. 

There were also "customs" and "excise" cut- 
ters, known in the present century as revenue cut- 
ters, which, in the United States were all rigged as 
schooners until they became steamers. About the 
middle of the nineteenth century there was one 
celebrated revenue " cutter," rigged as a topsail 
schooner, called the Hamilton, commanded by Cap- 
tain Josiah Sturgis, whose sister married Joshua 
Bates, of Baring Brothers, London. The cruising 
ground of the Hamilton was between Cape Ann 
and Cape Cod, and one of the pleasures of the few 
yachtsmen in Massachusetts Bay in those days 
(1845) was to be brought to by a gun from the 
Hamilton, and have Sturgis come alongside in his 
gig to examine their papers and sample the contents 
of their wine-lockers, for he was well-liked and wel- 
come at all times. 

The earliest portrait of a Dutch cutter — here 
reproduced — appears in an etching executed in 
1 750 by an unknown artist in Holland. A portrait 
of a Dutch schooner is also given in this picture, 
and is the earliest representation of a European 
schooner to be found. It will be noticed that she 
has pole masts and no spring stay, a practice that 
continued in England until the middle of the last 
century. 

The portrait of an English sloop, taken from 
an engraving published about the middle of the 
eighteenth century is here introduced. It shows 
the evolution of the rig from the early Dutch 



enue c. 



■ iled the il< 
Cf •, 



'on was 

)f tiie 1' 



.c%d\^r"gl:.^^:?i':??£fir.l7So. 



iter — here 



v)r trait 



niddle 



I 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 167 

sloop, a topmast and gaff having been added, but 
not a main boom ; the jib set on a stay, and stand- 
ing bowsprit. 

Another portrait follows of an English packet- 
sloop, commanded by Captain Flynn, being brought 
to by the Dutch privateer brig. Good Expectation, 
October 28, 1783. At that period it appears that 
the rig of the British and American sloop was the 
same. 

One of the earliest portraits of a British cutter 
is the Nimble, twelve guns, 168 tons, carrying a 
crew of sixty men. This vessel was purchased by 
the Government in 1781 and foundered during a 
heavy gale in the Kattegat, November 6, 18 12. 

The first cutter in the English Navy, as recorded 
by Charnock, was the Swift, captured from the 
French in 1761; length, gun-deck, 53 feet 10 
inches ; keel, 40 feet 4-| inches ; breadth, 19 feet 75 
inches ; depth, 8 feet 4-|- inches ; 83 tons ; she 
mounted ten guns and carried a crew of thirty men. 
Apparently, at about this date, the cutter rig was 
first introduced into England, although it had been 
in existence for some time on the northern coast of 
the continent. 

In 1 781 a series of engravings was published by 
Kitchingman, which are here given. From them 
an idea may be formed of the model, construction, 
and rig of the English cutter of that period. 

In 1806 the portraits of a sloop and cutter were 
drawn by Serres. Upon examining the reproduc- 
tion herewith, one sees that the only difference in 
the rig is in the setting of the jib ; the cutter's is 



1 68 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

set flying on a running bowsprit, and the sloop's 
on a stay with a standing bowsprit. 

The first cutter owned in the British Navy, as 
has been mentioned, was the Swift, 1761 ; and, 
according to Charnock, the first schooner was the 
Chaleur, bought in 1764. The first lugger was 
the La Gloire, taken from the French in 1781. 





LINES OF THE CUTTER BUSY," 1778 



Falconer (1771) gives this definition of a cutter: 
" A small vessel commonly navigated in the chan- 
nel of England ; it is furnished with one mast, and 
rigged as a sloop, many of these vessels are used in 
illicit trade, and others are employed by the gov- 
ernment to seize them ; the latter are either under 
the direction of the Admiralty or Custom-house." 

Falconer gives no definition of a lugger, as the 
rig had not at that time been introduced into 
England. 

By the year 1800 the cutter rig had become 



set fi^ 



^'ht in 1 70 

'vcn fmm tiie i 



ler was t.'.c 
lugger V is 
> 1781. 



An English Packet Sloop and Dutch Privateer, Good 
Expectation. 1783. 



noi o; 




inition of a cutter ; 



are iisi- 
v the - 



on of the 



ives no 



ustom-house 



)t a lu' 



uv 



1800 tb 



If^iliilliflflllllllflllllpfflpf^lll'l[' 



JM.i 




THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 169 

firmly established In Great Britain. There were 
61 armed cutters in the government service, be- 
sides 9 excise cutters on the coast of England 
mounting from four to twelve guns each, 1 1 reve- 
nue cutters on the coast of Scotland mounting 
from eight to twenty guns each, and 15 luggers em- 
ployed in the royal service. 

Charnock gives the particulars of some eighty 
cutters, many of them apparently large seagoing 
vessels. Among them may be mentioned the 




A-SL.oor. 



Rattlesnake, 185 tons, 12 guns; Kite, 218 tons, 12 
guns; Flying Fish, 190 tons, 12 guns; Busy, 190 
tons, 12 guns; Alert, 205 tons, 14 guns; Pilot, 218 
tons, 14 guns; Ranger, 201 tons, 14 guns; and 
Sea Flower, 203 tons, 16 guns. 

The lines are here given of one of these cutters, 
— the Busy, built at Folkstone in 1778; also the 
lines of a sloop published in the European Maga- 
zine, 1 790. 

The British cutters and sloops of this period 
accompanied the naval fleets and made distant 
voyages ; and while there is no record that any of 



I70 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

them circumnavigated the globe, there can be no 
doubt that many of them were quite able to 
do so. 

In the year 1800 there were 40 schooners owned 
in the Royal Navy. It is a significant fact that 
none was built by the government : 24 were bought, 
2 were built in New York, 2 in Newfoundland 1 1 
captured from the French, and i taken from the 
Spanish. There Is thus no evidence that any of 
these schooners were built in Great Britain. 

Falconer gives the definition of a schooner : " A 
small vessel with two masts, whose mainsail and 
foresail are suspended from gaffs reaching from 
the mast towards the stern, and stretched out 
below by booms, whose foremast ends are hooked 
to an iron, which clasps the mast so as to turn 
tlierein as upon an axis, when the after ends are 
swune from one side of the vessel to the other." 

This definition of a schooner cannot be accepted 
as complete ; no bowsprit being mentioned. But 
it describes the rig of the yachts of Holland during 
the early part of the seventeenth century ; also the 
Chebucco boats, which took their name from the 
town on the coast of Massachusetts, — known now 
as Essex, — where in Colonial times they were first 
built. This rig was, no doubt, imported from Hol- 
land. It seems probable, also — even at the date 
when Falconer s Dictionary was published — that 
little was known in England concerning the fore- 
and-aft schooner rig. Moreover, excepting for 
yachts, this has never been a favorite rig in Great 
Britain. These facts tend to confirm the claim 



of tl- 



there 



by the ■ re bou 



to 



ndiand 
roui th 

There is inus no 
■■iTonnrr.'--, at n ! ji.'lf ' ,■ 

inail vessel \ > masts .lil and 

The Nimble. ' 1781. 









turn 


upon an axb, wh 


• 




-.ds are 


run or: "•■'•- r -V- - 


- 




" 


definit' 






-^ ^ i-- • 


lowspr; 


rrjt 


;n>ion^ 


ed. E ; 



iarj)- I 

■\i\\CCC: 



i ills l! 






It seem.,, j. 




- , V . . U / ! 1 


'"alccmers 




pubh a; 
cerninq- the fo 


vooner rig. 


Mo, 




k,.„ ,.,w,„,. 1 


• •'0 a iavuru ■': 




A to 


Gonf- 




tin I f'jif ^ 






V^ I'rMj 






t-g .MWUl 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 171 

that the schooner rig first appeared in 1713, at 
Gloucester, Massachusetts. 

From time to time a good deal of controversy 
has occurred among yachting experts concerning 
the origin of the schooner, sloop, and cutter rigs. 
Hence, this matter has been the subject of careful 
research with the present writer. In conclusion, 
therefore, we may say, that so far as existing rec- 
ords are obtainable, the schooner rig originated in 
America, the sloop rig in Holland. From these 
were evolved the French and British cutter and 
the American sloop rigs ; while the ketch and 
lugger rigs originated in France. 

In 1 715 Thomas Dogget, the celebrated come- 
dian, instituted the " coat and badge " as a prize to 
be rowed for on the first of August, annually, on 
the Thames by six young watermen that had not 
exceeded the time of their apprenticeship by twelve 
months. 

This prize, which came to be known as " Dog- 
get's coat and badge," was a red coat with a large 
silver badge on the arm, bearing the white horse 
of Hanover. It was first given to commemorate 
the anniversary of the accession of King George I. 
to the throne of England. And although the first 
race took place in the year 171 5, as mentioned, the 
names of the winners of this famous trophy have 
been preserved only since 1791. Naturally the in- 
troduction of steamboats on the Thames caused 
the old race of watermen to become extinct ; and, 
so, much of the interest and excitement of these 
sculling matches have passed away. 



1/2 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The Lord Mayor's procession by water to West- 
minster was made annually until 1856 ; in that year 
it was discontinued. The barge of the Lord Mayor 
was a superb galley, richly ornamented within and 
without, rowed by watermen, and accompanied by 
the barges owned by the various city companies 
and guilds. These processions were beautiful river- 
pageants ; hence their discontinuance is much to 
be regretted. 

An illustration is here given of the Lord Mayor's 
barge, accompanied by other barges, at Westmin- 
ster, from a painting by David Roberts, R. A. It 
enables us to form some idea of the beauty of these 
old-time river craft. 

In 1720 the royal yacht Catherine was built at 
Deptford : length on gun-deck, 79 feet ; keel, 62 
feet 3 inches ; breadth, 22 feet 4 inches ; depth, 1 1 
feet 2 inches; 166 tons. This yacht is chiefly 
notable as being one of the first English royal 
yachts of which a portrait has been discovered, — 
to appear in due time, together with the ancient 
Fubbs, — as they were among the fleet of yachts 
that escorted Queen Charlotte from Cuxhaven to 
England, in the year 1761. 

It seems quite natural and appropriate that 
the jovial, sport-loving noblemen and gentlemen 
of Ireland should have been the first to organize 
yachting in the United Kingdom. It is therefore 
not surprising to find that in the year 1720 
the Cork Harbor Water Club was firmly es- 
tablished and flourishing under the auspices of 
Lord Inchiquin, the Honorable James O'Bryen, 



THE HISTORY 



ACH: 



aiK 



iy until 
i he barge -.ord Ma 

.y, richly c; '' ' 

-y waterm:' 
ned by tl. 

ocessions were beautiful river- 
hcnce their discontinuance ' is much t.' 

■A 

•n of the Lord Mayor's 
:rees, a. ;i!- 



I ic uctuty \ji III . 'J 

An English Revenue Cutter Chasing '^iSmiiggfei-Jt at 
gth on i;^n-deck, 79 feet; keel, (■?. 
' "\ 22 feet 4 inches ; depth,' 1 1 
!(.iT^ This yacht is chiefly 
>e first English royal 
! 4isco\ 
with the anciciit 
he fleet of yachts 
from Cuxhaven to 



notable as being 01 
);!chts of which a pc 
to Appear in due time, 
Fubbs, — as they i>">r" 
that escorted Or 

It seems quitt 



)ropriate t'.r.i 



lited Kingdoiv > therefore 

uprising to find that in the year 1720 
L.H. Lork " 'if Water Club was firmly r 
tablished , — ..jurishing under the ■a.\\^--~'''-c< 
Lord Inchiquin. the Honorable James 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 173 

Charles O'Neal, Henry Mitchell, John Rodgers 
and Richard Bullen. 

The headquarters of the club was the Castle, on 
the picturesque Island of Hawlbowline, in the beau- 
tiful harbor of Cork. From this stronghold these 
ancient yachtsmen used to embark on board their 
yachts and sail " a few leagues out to sea," led and 
commanded by their Admiral, who was assisted by 
a Vice-Admiral. The following were the " Sail- 
ing Orders for the Water Club Fleet, a. d., 1720: 
The fleet to rendezvous at Spithead on club-days, 
by the first quarter ebb ; any boat not being in 
sight by the time the Admiral is abreast of the 
castle in Spike Island to forfeit a British half-crown 
for gunpowder for the fleet. 

" When the Admiral hoists his fore-sail half up, 
it is for the fleet to heave apeak upon their anchor, 
and when the fore-sail is hoisted up and a gun fired, 
the whole fleet is to weigh. 

" To observe no one offer to go ahead, or to wind- 
ward of the Admiral, without being ordered. The 
Vice-Admiral to bring up the rear, and to wear 
the broad pendant at his masthead ; the captains to 
follow the Admiral, and to take place according to 
their seniority, viz., the eldest captain present to 
keep on the starboard quarter of the Admiral, the 
second to the larboard quarter, and so on quite 
through the fleet ; if any stranger or strangers join 
company, it is expected he or they shall receive 
orders from the Admiral. 

" Observe, that if the Admiral wants to speak with 
any of the fleet he will make the following signals : 



174 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

If with the Vice- Admiral he will hoist a white flag 
at the end of the gaff or derrick, and fire two guns ; 
if with any private captain, he will hoist a pendant 
at his derrick and fire as many guns as the captain 
is distanced from him, and from the same side. 
When he will have all the fleet to make sail, he will 
strike his ensign, and hoist a red flag on the ensign 
staff and fire a gun from each quarter. When the 
red flag is struck and a gun fired then every captain 
is to come into his proper station. 

"He will strike his ensign and fire a gun, when 
he goes about, and for wearing two guns. 

" When he will have the fleet to come to anchor, 
he will show double Dutch colors at the end of his 
gaff, and fire a gun. 

" When any of the fleet happens to be in distress, 
the captain of the boat is to hoist his ensign with 
a cross downwards, and fire a gun if he can. 

" If a captain upon an extraordinary occasion, 
should want to go out of the line and away, he is 
to show his ensign in his shrouds, and fire a gun ; 
the Admiral, if he gives him leave, will show a 
white flag in his shrouds, and fire a gun ; if not a 
red flag. 

" If a captain has anybody very sick on board 
him, and wants to go to the island, he is to make a 
weft in his ensign to lower his pendant half down, 
and fire a gun ; if he gets the Admiral's leave, he will 
be shown a white flag in the shrouds ; if not, a red 
one and a gun fired. 

" When the Admiral will have the whole of the 
fleet to chase, he will hoist Dutch colors under his 




^C-TlWlXaRlW- 



IE HiSTOR YACHTING 

ir ■ >h Admiral hr- will hoist a white fla: 



b 



a id fire two guns ; 

will hoist a pendai 

:. ana .'uc as ni as as the cr-^ 

fi-,,m l-,t,Ti, aiu> .. •.,1 the same 
lie fleet to make sail, h 
n, and hoist a red fla,^on the ensi^v 
, ^S^fBfl} &^*ft^^uaHl.S; When tb 
c.. ....- lo .-,Lruck and a r-" '^-^d then every captan 

is to come into his pro, in. 

Mre a eun, wher 
he goes about, and 

iL'cc Lu ^;urj[!c J.O ancnor, 
!: r-olnrs .-it tlii> i nd r,r his 



n anyof the fleet happens to be in distress 
.:.. a. J ain of the boat is to hoist his ensign with 
a c,(^s:. downwards, and (^''^ -■ • ■■■^^ if he can. 

"If a captain upon 'inar)' occasion. 

Id want 'away, he is 

to show his ensign and fire a gun 

^'^ ^^'"'""^l^^ Building oF m Cutt^^ ^YiJ85?ho^Y 

._■ nag in jus , ■ :i<! ^■.-' :i ^.Tun : if not ,' 

red flag. 

f a captain ha ,• sick on boarr 

."' wants to <.;. \x\<x, he is to make • 

p ensign tc - >i'fidant half down 

a ; if he get; al's leave, he wii 

vhite flag in the shrouds ; if i' 
one ana a gun fired. 

"When the Admi.c. „a. ...... ^ che whole o) l,. 

ro chase, he will hoist Dutch colors under h- 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 175 

flag, and fire a gun from each quarter ; if a single 
boat he will hoist a pendant, and fire as many guns 
from the side as a boat is distanced from him. 
When he would have the chase given over, he will 
hawl in his flag and fire a gun. 

" Every boat is to carry the same sail as the 
Admiral, if she can, and may carry more, so as 
to enable her to keep company, but by no means to 
go ahead. 

" The Admiral will, when he comes to an anchor, 
be the outermost, and the Vice-Admiral in the 
centre of the fleet. 

" Every officer to obey such further order as the 
Admiral for the day, from time to time, shall give 
him." 

It will be observed that these sailing orders are 
very similar to those issued at Amsterdam in the 
year 1697, when Peter the Great visited Holland. 
They may therefore possibly have been taken from 
them ; also, that they contain no suggestion of 
racing. 

The following are the " Rules and Orders for 
the Water Club of the Harbour of Cork, A. D., 
1765:" 

" I. Ordered, That the Water Club be held once 
every Spring-tide, from the first Spring-tide in 
April, to the last in September, inclusive. 

" 2. That no Admiral do bring more than two 
dishes of meat for the entertainment of the Club. 

"3. Resolved, That no Admiral presume to 
bring more than two dozen of wine to his treat ; for 
it has always been deemed a breach of the ancient 



176 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

rules and constitutions of the Club, except when 
my lords the judges are invited. 

"4. No captain to bring any stranger to the 
Club, unless they should lie at the captain's house 
the night before ; this order not to extend to the 
Admiral, who has a right to invite whom he 
pleases. 

" 5. Ordered, That the Secretary do prepare an 
Union Flag, with the Royal Irish Harp and Crown 
on a green field in the centre. 

"6. Ordered, That the Water Club flag be 
hoisted on Club-days early in the morning on the 
Castle of Hawlboline. 

" 7. Resolved, That six members make a full 
Club, and that all transactions and matters whatso- 
ever as are agreed unto by such a number, or more, 
shall be binding to the members of the said Club. 

" 8. Ordered, That the Secretary have the 
rules of this club afifixed to some proper place in the 
Club room at Hawlboline Island. 

" 9. Ordered, That no long tail wigs, large 
sleeves, or ruffles be worn by any member of the 
Club. 

" 10. Ordered, That no boat presume to sail 
ahead of the Admiral, or depart the fleet without 
his orders, but may carry what sail he pleases to 
keep company. 

"11. Ordered, That when any of the fleet join 
the Admiral, if they have not guns to salute, they 
are to give three cheers, which are to be returned 
by the Admiral, and one cheer to be returned 
by the captain so saluting. 



.rioH I 



An English Cutter. 1806. 

;, iTia 

1, ll-,.. 



9. Ur. 



ions and matte 

into by sue 

' '• members oi uie 
,1-0 . 

An English Sloop, . 1806. . 

tail wig:,, la. 



not gv 
i, which are i 



'ute, thi 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 177 

" 12. Resolved, That the Admiral of the day, to 
be better distinguished, do wear at his mast-head a 
proper small flag. 

" 13. Resolved, That twenty-five be the whole 
number of the members that this Club may con- 
sist of. 

"14. Resolved, That such members of the 
Club, or others, as shall talk of sailing after dinner 
be fined a bumper. 

" 15. Resolved, That the members of this Club 
do entertain in course of seniority (if in the King- 
dom) or appoint another member to take his turn, 
upon proper notice given him by the Secretary, upon 
pain of expulsion. (See Rule 27). 

" 1 6. Resolved, That all business of the Club be 
done before dinner, except appointing the time of 
the next meeting, or presenting, mulcting, and levy- 
ing fines. 

" 1 7. Resolved, That every member to be ad- 
mitted into the Club shall pay (pro rata) as much 
as has been paid by any member, towards building 
and upholding the Club-room, and for any other 
necessaries. 

" 18. Resolved, That the captains of this Club, 
who have boats, and shall not attend properly for 
the future, by sending their boats (unless they can 
show very good cause), shall for every such offence, 
forfeit one English crown towards buying gun- 
powder for the use of the fleet, which the Secretary 
is hereby ordered to levy, and lay out for the said 
use. 

"19. Resolved, That the knight of the island be 



178 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

accountable for all goods and materials belonging to 
the Club-room. 

" 20. Ordered, That the knight of the island for 
the time being, do suffer no person or persons 
whatsoever to go into the Club-room, unless brought 
by a member, or by an order of five members 
at least, under their hands, on pain of being 
cashiered. 

"21. Ordered, That the Admiral singly, or any 
three captains whom he shall appoint, do decide all 
controversies or disputes that may arise at the Club ; 
and any captain that shall refuse to abide by such 
decision, is to be expelled. 

" N. B. — This order to extend to the chaplain, or 
any other inferior officer. 

"22. Ordered, That the fleet meet at Spithead, 
between the hours of nine and eleven in the morn- 
ing, but the Admiral may appoint any hour, not 
later than eleven, as also the place of rendezvous 
upon extraordinary occasions. 

" 23. Ordered, That the Secretary write notice 
to the captains not present at the last Club, but in the 
Kingdom, of the next meeting, either by post or 
messenger ; the captain sent unto is to pay. 

" 24. Resolved, For the future, that no person 
whatsoever be admitted or elected a member, but 
by ballot. 

"25. Resolved, That no person be suffered to 
land on the island on any Club-day, unless by leave 
from the Admiral. 

"26. (April 21, 1737). Ordered, That for the 



.riobfiri,J ](, -bliuO bfif 



;^a 



con.- 
nnd an 



rsTOJ 

-uuus . trials belonging 

at the knight of the is!; 

erson or persn i 
,;o -.ato uie ^_iuu-ruom, unless br ■■•• ■ 
-^r W an order of five nv 

r hands, on pain of being 

'rdered, 1 hat the Admir.. or any 

. .,.!,,-„, !,.. ,1, ,11 lopoiuu, -.. ..ucide all 

^r'<!e at the Ch n . 



• > c. 



•rod to the chapV^''-' 
Barge of the Lc^d ,j\^?iy^r and Guilds of London. 

rdered. That the fleet meet at Spithe:u;. 
between the hours of nine and eleven in the morn- 
ing, but the Admiral Vint any ho -^ 
later than -1—-" -^^ ^^^^ ^'^ ^en. 
uDon extr: 

Secretary write notice 

aptainsm- he last Club, but. in the 

om, of *'' ■ n either by pf^^t or 

.rer; tl-. > ''^ to pay. 

.esolve person 

-bead aer, but 

p-^olvt no person be suffered to 

Club-day, unless by leave 
\dmira!. 
_0. (April 21, 1737). Ordercu, 1 i;^- iv. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING lyq 

future unless the company exceed the number of 
fifteen, no man be allowed more than one bottle to 
his share, and a peremptory. 

" 27. Resolved, That each member (unless out 
of the Kingdom) entertains in his turn, or sub- 
stitutes a member in his room, otherwise the Secre- 
tary is to provide a dinner, the cost of which is 
to be paid by the member whose turn it shall be to 
attend, on pain of expulsion." 

In the year 1738 the famous marine artist 
Monamy painted two pictures, one representing 
" Two Gentlemen's Boats, Members of the Water 
Club of Cork, 1738," the other "The Fleet 
Manoeuvering Under Orders of the Admiral." 
These paintings were presented to the Club by the 
Marquis of Thormond, and are still in existence. 
They are owned by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, 
Oueenstown. 

An interesting account of the Water Club of 
Cork was published in Bell's Life in London, 
January 30, 1853, which reads as follows : 

" The first authentic document we have in proof 
of the great antiquity of this club is now before us, 
in the shape of a copy of a small work published in 
the year 1765, and bearing the title of the 'Rules 
and Orders of the Water Club of the Harbour of 
Cork,' the original of which is in the possession 
of the club, and is, we are informed, the only copy 
of its date extant. This little volume consists of 
two parts, namely, ' General Orders ' and ' Sailing 
Orders,' of the former of which there are twenty- 



i8o THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

seven numerically arranged. From the quaint 
phraseology and peculiarity of precedents, as well 
as from distinct allusion, it is quite evident that the 
Water Club existed prior to the year 1720, and 
it may be presumed that this work, published in 
1 765, was merely a reprint of older rules, revised 
and added to, as we find the last two rules, viz., 
Nos. 26 and 27, bearing the date April 21, 1737. 
It appears that the Island of Hawlboline, romanti- 
cally situated in the beautiful harbour of Cork, was, 
in the year 1720, the exclusive property of the 
Water Club, and that the castle situated thereon 
was their club-house, whereupon the club flag was 
hoisted early in the morning of each club day, 
which club flag was ' a union flag (union jack), with 
the royal Irish harp and crown, on a green field 
in the centre, which flag was granted by the Lords 
of the Admiralty to William, Earl of Inchiquin:' 
The exact date of the grant is not known, but it is 
assumed to have been between the years 1 720 and 
1 730 ; in a picture belonging to the club, bearing 
date 1738, it is depicted as above described. The 
meetings of the club were held ' once every spring- 
tide, from the first spring-tide in April to the last 
spring-tide in September, and the number of mem- 
bers who constituted the club were limited to twen- 
ty-five. Why the number was thus limited does 
not appear ; but it may be inferred that its earliest 
progenitors were so aristocratic and exclusive in 
their notions, as thus to narrow the possibility of an 
objectionable personage being introduced amongst 
them, as a further proof of which we find that ' no 



.Hl\i .>hoD 1o dijO-^:3iBW aril ;a ir.r-I ortT 



I So THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

se^ itncaiiy arjungeu. riuia iiu, 

'' \- and r.-ruliarity of precedents, 

I is quite evident that tli •. 
led prior to the. year 1720, and 
,amed that this work, published in 
: ely a reprint of older rules, revised 
t, as we find the last two rules, \-\.:., 
Nos. 26 and 27, bearing the date April 21, 1737. 
It appears that the Island of Hawlboline, romanti- 
cally situated in th- ' .■.-;r,.i 1 ,.; ^, - ^.r Cork, was, 
in the year 17^^. rty of the 

Water Club, and that the castle situated ■■ 
\- ■':• \:- club-house, whereupon the club flag was 

iK'ist:-!! Fjarlv in the mornino- of ench club day, 

, The Fleet- of the Water. CluS of Cork. .1738. •;, 

whicu cfuD ring was a union flag (^union jacK}, with 

the royal Irish harp and crown, on a green field 

in the centre, which flag was granted by the Lords 

of the Admiralty to William, Earl of Inchiquin : ' 

The exact date of the gr-^' ' '-"ot known, but it is 

assumed to have been be .lie years 1720 and 

1730; in a picture belonging to the club, bearing 

date 1738, it is d \s above described. The 

rneetings of the ci '-" ' ■ once every spring- 

t-de. from thefir;-- April to the li^t 

lio constitu' cd to t\\> ^ 

c)-nve. Why the nuiUL.>er was mus limited does 
n.f :^opear; but it may be inferred that its earliest 

itors were so aristocratic and exclusive in 
tnr 4- notions, as thus to narrow the possibility of an 
" jjectionable personage being introduced ? I 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING i8r 

captain (by whom may be presumed yacht owner) 
was to bring any stranger to the club, unless he 
should lie at the captain's house the night before,' 
save and except in the case of the admiral of the 
club, who, it appears, amongst other absolute 
powers, possessed the right of inviting whom he 
pleased. This exclusiveness may, doubtless, have 
been strictly consonant with the manners and cus- 
toms of the Irish gentlemen of the day, who, whilst 
they were proverbially hospitable, and lavishly 
generous, might still have been, and doubtless were, 
delicately sensitive of any infringement of class 
or position. This may, in some measure, account 
for the requirement that a visitor to the club should 
sleep at the house of the member who introduced 
him upon the night previous to his introduction, 
thus proving a guarantee of his eligibility to be 
brought amongst them. The spirit of hospitality, 
to which we have before alluded, appears to have 
been highly cherished and amply developed amongst 
the members of the Water Club, as we find in 
Rule No. 2 ' That no Admiral do bring more than 
two dishes of meat for the entertainment of the 
club.' From this, however, we are not to infer that 
two dishes made up the entertainment, as in Rule 15 
we find that 'the members of the club were to 
entertain in course of seniority (if in the kingdom), 
or appoint a deputy, upon due notice of his turn for 
entertaining having arrived being served on him by 
the secretary, upon pain of expulsion.' It appears 
that the Island of Hawlboline was under the charge 
of an officer elected from time to time, under title of 



1 82 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

' Knight of the Island,' who was accountable not 
only for the ' goods and materials belonging to the 
club-room,' but that he ' do suffer no person or per- 
sons whatsoever to go into the club-room, unless 
brought by a member, or by an order of five mem- 
bers at least, under their hands, on pain of being 
cashiered.' The drinking propensities of the club 
appear to have required careful supervision, as 
we find, according to Rule 3, that ' no Admiral was 
to presume to bring more than two dozen of wine to 
his treat' A more recent rule, bearing date April 
2ist, 1737, orders 'That for the future, unless the 
company should exceed the number of fifteen, no 
man should be allowed more than one bottle to his 
share and a peremptory.' Now, what the meaning 
of a peremptory may be, we confess we know not. 
One would imagine it to be either a special 
additional bottle set apart to drink toasts, etc., 
from, or the term may have had reference to the 
aforesaid two dozen of wine brought by the ad- 
miral to his treat, and which, as the club was limited 
to twenty-five members, would allow an extra 
bottle, or peremptory to each man, leaving the 
gallant admiral to look out for squalls, and for 
himself. Confirmatory of our impression of the 
greater antiquity of the Water Club than the year 
1720, is a passage in Rule 3, which, treating upon 
the wine question, renders the supposition con- 
clusive to our minds. It runs thus : ' For it has 
always been deemed a breach of the ancient rules 
and constitutions of the club, except when my 
lords the judges are invited.' The uniform of the 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 183 

Water Club is not distinctly specified, but we find 
in Rule 9, ' that no long-tailed wigs, large sleeves, or 
rufifles, be worn by any member at the club.' 
From this we would infer that some distinguishing 
dress or uniform must have been conformed to, 
which was probably unpopular, as according to 
a manuscript note in the original copy, the pro- 
hibition against the wigs, sleeves, and rufifles was 
withdrawn. Rule 14, will no doubt cause every 
yachtsman to exclaim, 'what on land or sea could 
these most ancient mariners have chosen as a topic 
for conversation ? ' The rule runs thus : ' That 
such members of the club, or others, as shall talk of 
sailing after dinner, be fined a bumper ! ' We find 
that the list of members in 1720 consisted of Lord 
Inchiquin, the Hon. James O'Bryen, Charles 
O'Neal, Henry Mitchell, Richard Bullen, chaplain, 
and John Rodgers. It stands to reason, however, 
that there must have been a larger number of 
members than those specified in that year, and we 
are led to think, that as Rule No. 7 specifies, ' that 
six members make a full club,' these six gentlemen 
having been more active than others in the 
management of the club, their names were thus 
put prominently forward and they may have been 
considered in the same light as, what in our modern 
clubs we term, the committee. We have no posi- 
tive mention made as to the names of those who 
first filled the offices of admiral and vice-admiral 
of the Water Club, but we are led to think that 
the Earl of Inchiquin, before mentioned, having 
obtained the flag for the club, was the first flag 



1 84 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

officer of the club, and that the Hon. James 
O'Bryen filled the second position of importance. 
The only officer we find especially named in the 
first official list is Richard Bullen, chaplain. 
Whether this worthy gentleman was in holy orders, 
or whether it was some quaint appellation, we are 
doubtful, as, according to Rule 21, it was provided, 
' that the admiral singly, or any three captains he 
should appoint,' were to be the tribunal for adjudi- 
cating upon all controversies and disputes of the 
club. A subjoined note further states, ' N, B. — 
This order to extend to the chaplain, or any other 
inferior officer.' If we accept it, therefore, in its 
liberal sense, the Church does not appear to have 
held a very dignified position, or its representative 
may have enjoyed a disputative reputation, which 
was necessary to hold in check. The next mention 
we have made of member's names is in 1 760, when 
we find the following recorded as new members : 
*' Thomas Newenham, Morough O'Bryen, George 
Connor, Richfiel Longfield, James Nash, William 
Hodder, Philip Lavallin, John Newenham, Walter 
Fitzsimonds, Samuel Hoare, William Hays, 
Michael Parker, Abraham Devonshire, John Bul- 
len, * Robert Rogers, * James Devonshire, John 
Walcot, Thomas Parsons, Henry Puxley, and Rob- 
ert Newenham, Secretary,' Here our readers will 
observe we have the name of the first recorded 
secretary. The persons whose names are marked 
with asterisks appear to have subsequently died, or 
ceased to be members of the club, and the follow- 
ino^ are recorded as having been elected in their 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 185 

room, and their names are added in manuscript in 
the old copy of the rules in possession of the 
club : ' Edward Roche, Edmund Roche, Richard 
Dunscombe, Robert Atkins, John Baldwin, Robert 
Baldwin, and Samuel Stawell.' The appearance of 
the Water Club fleet when manceuvering under 
the orders of the admiral or vice-admiral must 
have been highly picturesque, as much pomp and 
ceremony appears to have attended the displays. 
The size or tonnage of the yachts composing the 
fleet does not appear, and it is likewise strange 
that the name 'yacht' does not once occur in the 
whole book of the ancient rules. From the follow- 
ing grapic description of a ' fleet' day with the old 
Water Club, it would appear that the vessels com- 
posing it were deserving of a more distinctive 
appellation than merely 'boats.' It is extracted 
from a work printed for J. Roberts, in Warwick 
Lane, London, in 1 748, entitled, ' A Tour Through 
Ireland, by Two English Gentlemen,' and written 
in a series of familiar letters : 

" ' I shall now acquaint your lordship with a cere- 
mony they have at Cork. It is somewhat like that 
of the Doge of Venice's wedding at sea. A set of 
worthy gentlemen, who have formed themselves 
into a body, which they call the " Water Club," pro- 
ceed a few leagues out to sea, once a year, in a 
number of little vessels which, for painting and 
gilding, exceed the King's yachts at Greenwich and 
Deptford. Their Admiral, who is elected annually, 
and hoists his flag on board his little vessel, leads 
the van, and receives the honour of the flag. 



1 86 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The rest of the fleet fall in their proper stations, 
and keep their line in the same manner as the 
King's ships. This fleet is attended by a prodigious 
number of boats which, with their colours flying, 
drums beating, and trumpets sounding, forms one 
of the most agreeable and splendid sights your 
lordship can conceive.' 

" There is an evident inaccuracy in a por- 
tion of the above statement, as the Water Club 
rules state (No. i) that their meetings take 
place once every spring-tide, instead of once a 
year as the English tourists appear to have be- 
lieved. 

" The sailing orders for the Water Club fleet are 
equally interesting : they are twenty in number, 
and contain many curious regulations. Signal 
by gun-fire appears to have been the favorite 
method of numerical communications ; for instance, 
if the Admiral wished to speak with any private 
captain, he would hoist a pendant at his derrick 
(gaff), and fire as many guns as the captain was dis- 
tanced from him, and from the same side. Again, 
' When the Admiral will have the whole fleet to 
chase, he will hoist Dutch colours under his flag, 
and fire a gun from each quarter ; if a single boat, 
he will hoist a pendant, and fire as many guns from 
the side as a boat is distanced from him.' From 
this it may be inferred that much gunpowder 
was used upon the sailing days ; and we find two 
rules, the infringement of which was punishable by 
fines, which fines were appropriated for the pur- 
chase of gunpowder for the fleet. No. i8 resolves. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 187 

' That the captains of this club, who have boats, 
and shall not attend properly for the future, by 
sending their boats (unless they can show very 
good cause), shall for every such offence, forfeit 
one English crown towards buying gunpowder for 
the use of the fleet, which the secretary is hereby 
ordered to levy, and lay out for the said use.' 
And in No. i of the Sailing Orders we have, 
' The fleet shall rendezvous at Spithead on club- 
days, by the first quarter ebb ; and a boat not 
being in sight by the time the Admiral is abreast of 
the castle in Spike Island, to forfeit a British half- 
crown for gunpowder for the fleet.' Verily we 
think these two rules might, with a less warlike 
appropriation of the fines, be applied to advantage 
to many of our modern clubs. We fear much that 
the admirals would be heavy sufferers in more 
instances than one. The sailing orders contain 
very many more stringent and admirable regula- 
tions under which, together with the general rules, 
the Water Club of Cork Harbor, and its gallant 
little fleet, appears to have flourished and progressed 
amazingly up to the year 1 765 ; but from this year, 
we are at fault, for the transactions of the club' 
do not appear to have been at all recorded, or, if 
they were, the records have disappeared ; at all 
events it is quite conclusive that the club had 
so far declined, or, in fact, ceased to exist for the 
time." 

So the old Water Club of Cork, as we have 
known it, passed out of existence ; the castle, fleet, 
admirals, captains, knight of the island, flags, guns, 



1 88 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

trumpets, and drums suddenly vanished and left 
no record of their ending ; yet the spirit of these 
ancient yachtsmen survived in their descendants 
who have made the waters of Oueenstown famous 
throughout the yachting world. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE CUMBERLAND FLEET 

Tilt Boats— The yachts Royal, Charlotte, Dorset, and Plymouth — The Man- 
darin house boat — Lord Ferrer's yacht — First regatta (so-called) in 
England — The father of yacht racing, the Duke of Cumberland, 1775 
— First racing cup won by the Aurora — Foundation of the " Cumber- 
land Fleet," 1775 — Review of this fleet in 1778 — The King's Fisher, 
Hawke, Cumberland, Caroline, and Eagle — Recovery of the Cumber- 
land cup from a San Francisco pawnbroker's shop — The yacht Lively 
visits America and her owner entertains George Washington — Schank's 
sliding keels adopted by the British Admiralty. 

IN 1727 the royal yacht Mary was built at Dept- 
ford ; length of gun-deck, 76 feet 9 inches ; 
keel, 61 feet 6 inches; breadth, 22 feet 4 inches; 
depth, 9 feet 8 inches; 164 tons. This yacht 
mounted 10 guns. 

In 1732 the yacht Anne appeared in the London 
Custom House list. She was 30 tons, carried a 
crew of four men, and was the only yacht so regis- 
tered at that date. 

In March 4, 1734, the Prince of Orange, Stadt- 
holder of the United Provinces, was married to 
Anne, Princess Royal, daughter of King George II ; 
and on April 2 2d the Prince and his royal bride, 
attended by many personages of distinction, left 
London in carriages for Gravesend, where they 
embarked for Holland on board the royal yacht 
Fubbs. The wind being unfavorable, they came 

l8q 



iQO THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

on shore in the evening, and remained at the 
house of Doctor Holker. On the 23d the Prince 
and Princess dined on board the yacht, " in view 
of great numbers who went off in boats to witness 
the spectacle." On the 24th, after again passing 
the night at the house of Doctor Holker, they em- 
barked early in the morning, and, with a fair wind, 
took their departure to Holland. 

In those days the route between Gravesend and 
Windsor by water was known as the Long Ferry, 
and heavy barges were used for many years to 
carry passengers to and from various places along 
the banks of the Thames. 

In 1737 a craft known as a tilt-boat had super- 
seded the ancient barge, and in this year an act 
was passed for regulating the watermen on the 
Thames between Gravesend and Windsor. For 
some years boats and wherries had been built in 
imitation of tilt-boats, with closed decks, many lives 
having been lost in consequence. 

To prevent this, it was enacted that, " after the 
24th of June, 1737, it should not be lawful for any 
person to use any boat or wherry with a closed deck, 
commonly called a Gravesend wherry, or with bails 
(frames) which were nailed to the boat and not 
moveable. The dangerous properties of such small 
boats are obvious ; for, when the bails, or semi- 
circular hoops upon which a tilt (awning) was 
supported, are immovable, the passengers are so 
confined as to render it difficult if not impossible 
to escape in times of danger." It was further pro- 
vided, by the same act, "that no tilt-boat should 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 191 

be of less burthen than fifteen tons, and the number 
of passengers to be conveyed in each was limited to 
forty, including three to be taken up by the way. 
No boat of less than three tons burthen was allowed 
to be used in the Long Ferry, and these were to 
carry no more than ten passengers each, including 
two to be taken up by the way." At the same 
time, it was enacted, " that, for regulating the 
more punctual departure of the boats employed in 
the Long Ferry, there should be a bell put up at 
Billingsgate, and another at Gravesend ; the former 
to give notice of the time of high water, when the 
boats were to depart ; and the latter, of the time 
of low water, when the boat was to leave. Graves- 
end, and proceed to London. 

On the 15th of September, 1738, the five tilt- 
boat masters, licensed by the Corporation, were 
George Sarmon, George Eglintine, John Caram, 
Leonard May, and Richard Turner. It appears 
that in the following year, upon a vacancy occurring, 
John Humpage was licensed as master of the 
Joseph and Mary tilt-boat ; it was therefore subse- 
quently that all of the five tilt-boats were named 
the King George. The regulations, introduced 
by the Act referred to, proved effective ; for the 
smaller boats were no longer used ; the tilt-boats 
were also discontinued in a few years, and larger 
boats with decks were employed. They, however, 
retained the general name of tilt-boats, and were 
each called the King George until, with the intro- 
duction of steam, sailing boats were no longer run 
on the Long Ferry. 



192 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The portrait is here given of a Gravesend tilt- 
boat, from a print by Canot, 1 753. It is interesting, 
as showing the sloop rig of that period, the jib 
being set on a stay, also as being an early portrait 
of a Thames sailing boat, — a type that came into use 
among the yachtsmen of London at a later period. 




A GRAVESEND TILT-BOAT, FROM AN ENGRAVING, BY P. C. CANOT, 1753 

In 1727 the royal yacht Mary was built at Dept- 
ford by R. Stacey ; length on gun-deck, 76 feet 9 
inches; keel, 61 feet 6 inches; breadth, 22 feet 4 
inches; 164 tons; 8 guns. This yacht appears in 
the Navy List of 1800. In 1741 the royal yacht 
Chatham, 74 tons, was built at Chatham by J. 
Ward. In 1742 the royal yacht Portsmouth, 83 
tons, was built at Portsmouth by P. Lock. 

In 1745 Monamy painted a picture, in which one 
of the royal yachts appears, which is here repro- 
duced and gives a good idea of the royal yacht of 
that period. 

The largest and finest royal yacht built in Eng- 



.\d\i .nsvfirixuO is ^n'rAis 



liKffD ri33ij0 




^HE mSTORY OF 



1TING 



I -I cl I 

amon; 



.icic ^ivcji ui u oravcsena t: 

y Canot, 1753. It is interesting, 

lop rig of that period, the jib 

>o as being an early portrait 

aig Doat, — a type that came into use 

htsmen of London at a later period. 





OueerigGharlotte Embarking: at Cuxhaven. 1761. 




90AT, FBOM A»* SUflR ANOT, 1758 

■y was bfrilt at Dep' 



s ; Keel, o . 



ly.; 



'4 tons 



lit cl i. i 



-itham by J. 
'ismouth, 83 

i^ock. 

lonam) _^ ^ . rs. in whic 

of the r :hts appears, whic e reprc 

duced and gives a good idea of the royal yacht of 
' - - -iod. 

ir^est and finp'^f nn-nl \7q,-Tit '.nHf In T.-.r.-. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 193 

land during the eighteenth century was the ship 
Royal Charlotte, built at Deptford in 1 749 by J. 
Holland ; length on gun-deck, 90 feet ; keel, 72 feet 
2\ inches ; breadth, 24 feet 7 inches ; depth 1 1 feet ; 
232 tons. She carried 10 guns and a crew of 70 
men. A portrait is here given of this yacht, from 
a drawing by Pocock, engraved by Nesbit. In 
1 76 1 Queen Charlotte crossed from Cuxhaven to 




THE "royal charlotte," 1740 

Harwich on board of her, accompanied by the 
royal yachts Mary, Catherine, and Fubbs. 

Two pictures of this expedition were executed 
by Thomas Allen, and were engraved by Canot, 
showing the departure of the fleet from Harwich 
under command of Lord Anson, the embarkation 
at Cuxhaven, and in a gale during the passage to 
England. Her Majesty went aboard the Royal 
Charlotte at Cuxhaven, August 26, 1761. "The 
moment she entered her cabin she saluted the offi- 
cers who crowded the decks in order to have the 
pleasure of seeing her, and who were charmed with 
her condescending and affable behavior. The fleet 
put to sea on August 28th ; and after encounter- 
ing three successive storms, often being in sight of 



194 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

the English coast, and repeatedly in danger of 
being driven on that of Norway, arrived safely at 
Harwich, September 6th. Notwithstanding the 
fatigues of the voyage her Majesty mostly amused 
herself with playing the harpsicord, and continued 
in good spirits and health, endearing herself to all 
on board by her fascinating manners. It being 
night when she arrived at Harwich, her Majesty re- 
mained on board the Royal Charlotte until 3 o'clock 
the next afternoon when she landed in state." 

The royal yacht Dorset, 164 tons, was built at 
Deptford by Sir Thomas Slade in 1753, and the 
royal yacht Plymouth, 88 tons, was built at Ply- 
mouth, in 1755, by J. Bucknall. This completes 
the list of royal yachts built in England during the 
eighteenth century. 




THE MANDARINE YACHT," 1753 



It is probable that from the first introduction of 
yachts during the reign of King Charles II. there 
have always been private yachts owned in England, 
though few records of them have been preserved. In 
1753 an engraving was published byT. Haynes, Lon- 



.fir)iv7ii,i 1 U: J J l'>l ii 





HISTORY O 

\ ; of '"^orway, arrived safely at 

Notwithstandingr the 
lyage her Majesty mo ised 

ing the harpsicord, ana c I 

.■ . ,,..^ ..ad health, ertdearip-^ y-st-t-^ 
ard by her fascinating man 
night when she arrived at Harwich, her 
mained on board the 
the next -ft. .-- — - 

The r. ' nt 

k, 88 tons, Was built at Ply- 

1.1,;.:..., ;.• ;;.. . ', 1. BuchnaH. Tlv- .---'■- 

, T Arr-ival or Oueen Ch^rlotte^ -gjt Harwich. 

ihe list o! royai \r-:^ its iYiiiir .ii j-^' :.r . 

:icrhte,enth centu 




I*, is probable that from the first introduction of 
yachts during the reign of King Charles II. there 
have always been private yachts owned in England, 
though few records of th, ' been preserved. \\\ 

1 -r ' Ti (jnrrmi'h.T \v,i< f 'iX' T. H PiVnOS. LoP. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 195 

don, oi the Mandarine Yatcht, owned by the Duke of 
Cumberland. This curious craft appears to have been 
the grandmother of the fashionable house-boat of 
the present day on the upper Thames ; and seems 
well suited to the purpose for which she was intended. 

Falconers Marine Dictionary (1771) defines a 
yacht as follows : " A vessel of State, usually em- 
ployed to convey princes, ambassadors, or other 
great personages from one kingdom to another. 
As the principal design of a yacht is to accommo- 
date the passengers, it is usually fitted with a vari- 
ety of convenient apartments, with suitable furniture, 
according to the quality or number of persons con- 
tained therein. The royal yachts are commonly 
rigged at Ketches, except the principal one reserved 
for the Sovereign, which is equipped with three 
masts like a ship. They are in general elegantly 
furnished and richly ornamented with sculpture, 
and always commanded by captains in his majesty's 
navy. Besides these, there are many other yachts 
of a smaller kind, employed by the Commissioners 
of Excise, Navy and Customs ; or used as pleasure- 
boats by private gentlemen." 

In 1773 Earl Ferrers owned a yacht which is 
thus described in the Gentleman s Magazine, " Earl 
Ferrers arrived at Deptford in his yacht from a 
cruise of about three weeks, which he took in order 
to make a trial of his new method of constructing 
ships, and we are informed by a person who has 
conversed with one of the officers belonging to her, 
that nothing that was ever built answered all pur- 
poses so well, as they say that she is not only a fast 



196 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

sailer, but also carries sail remarkably well, and has 
every good quality which a vessel can possibly have 
in utmost perfection, and more particularly in a 
large head sea. What is very extraordinary in the 
vessel is, that in turning up to windward from the 
Downes to Blackwall, where she arrived on Sunday 
evening, she beat every vessel between three and 
four miles an hour, right in the wind's eye, though 
there were at least a hundred sail of vessels cominor 
up the river and the wind all the time blew very fresh, 
and right down the river, yet on Saturday evening 
she turned from about two miles to the westward of 
the Isle of Sheppy to the mouth of the river Thames 
in within four hours against the ebb tide, though at 
the height of the springs, which it is imagined was 
never done before, nor can be done by any vessel." 

The same volume of the Gentleman s Magazine 
records that " In a letter from Dover mention is 
made of a late trial between the celebrated vessel 
constructed by Lord Ferrers, and two small shal- 
lops belonging to Lieutenants Friend and Colum- 
bine, when on a stretch from that port to the 
opposite coast and back again, his lordship's vessel 
was weathered full two leagfues in comino- in with 
Dover cliffs. A vessel launched lately for the cap- 
tain of the Speedwell has since beat the shallops, 
and is thouq^ht to be the fastest sailing^ vessel on 
the coasts of the kingdom." 

It would be interesting to know the rig, tonnage, 
build, and names of these vessels, but no particu- 
lars relating to these matters have been preserved. 

In 1775 Richard Paton painted a picture of the 



, right e, thov. 



A Royal Yacht. h iL;;^. 
can be done i 



'II 



Id be 






#^-1-- 




rsw :>J[ ' oy^jiJyJt 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 197 

dockyard at Deptford. In it one of the King's 
yachts — represented with the royal standard at the 
main — is firing a salute in honor of the royal party, 
just started for the shore. This picture was en- 
graved by Woolett, and is here given. 

On June 28, 1775, a new entertainment called a 
regatta, introduced from Venice into England, was 
held on the Thames. As we have seen, rowing 
matches had been held on the Thames between 
watermen for many years, but this first regatta was 
probably more in the nature of a social function or 
fdte, not unlike the Henley Regatta of the present 
day, although on a less extensive scale. 

At this regatta " several very respectable gentle- 
men, proprietors of sailing vessels and pleasure- 
boats on the river, agreed at their annual meeting 
at Battersea, to draw up their boats in line off 
Ranelagh Gardens, in order that they might be able 
to witness the rowing matches, without interfering 
with them." It is probable that these men were 
the first to organize a yacht club on the Thames. 

Yacht-racing in England dates from the year 
1775 ; and while many a man, at various times and 
places, has been called the " Father of Yachting," — 
so that yachting in this respect resembles the wise 
child of the Scriptures, — there can be no doubt that 
the Duke of Cumberland is justly entitled the 
" Father of Yacht-racing." He was a brother of King 
George III., was an admiral in the Royal Navy, and 
was greatly interested in yachts and yachting. 

On July 6, 1775, a notice appeared in the Pub- 
lic Advertiser, — a newspaper published in London, 



198 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

— which read as follows; "A silver Cup, the 
gift of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumber- 
land, is to be sailed for on Tuesday the i ith Inst, 
from Westminster Bridge to Putney Bridge and 
back, by Pleasure Sailing Boats, and constantly 
lying above London Bridge. Any gentleman in- 
clined to enter his Boat may be informed of par- 
ticulars by applying to Mr. Roberts, Boatbuilder, 
Lambeth, at any time before Saturday Noon Next." 

This match, however, was not sailed until July 
13th, owing to the weather. When it did occur, 
the cup, valued at 20 guineas, was won by the 
Aurora, which belonged to Mr. Parkes, "late of 
Ludgate Hill." And " His Royal Highness, who 
honored the sport with his presence, filled the Cup 
with wine, drank out of it, and delivered it to Mr. 
Parkes." This though not the first open sailing- 
match held in England, was the germ of yacht-racing 
as we know it at the present day. 

On August 7, 1775, the Duke of Newcastle gave 
a magnificent regatta at Oaklands on the Thames, 
at which the Prince of Wales and the Princess 
Amelia were present. In this year also the Cum- 
berland Fleet, or Cumberland Sailing Society, as it 
was sometimes called, was founded, and was the 
earliest yacht club in England. The members 
were called captains. And not without reason ; 
for, by the rules of the club they were obliged to 
steer and handle their own yachts with the assist- 
ance of only two men. This title possessed then a 
real significance, and a resolution was passed that 
members should appear in "aquatic uniforms." 



,s the . 



. -, aiia •■ 

. .iiy gent 'v 

be informed of [>:i - 

AT to Mr. Roberts, Boatbuilcler, 

i.h, al any l! re Satii " '-" 

' IV. '■ '■ ■ -- j-iy 

lid occur, 
• 111 by the 

■ '• (!*" 

;, VVllO 

le Cup 

. ^^^.^fr^il CufT'^f ?|^:i^':K^?.^J'^^'JP^§- Mr. 

This though not the first open sailing- 

i, was thegerm of yacht-raciri,: 

■f N^x 
lands c 






icance, aiii! 'jliuri 

should ■ " •" 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 199 

And each yacht, when racing, was required to fly 
at her gaff-end a white flag with a red St. George's 
cross, and the number of blue balls answering to 
the number of her position at the starting line, 
yachts being obliged to get under way from moor- 
ings with sails furled. The first commodore of the 
club was Mr. Smith, who appears to have been the 
proprietor of Smith's Gardens, known later as 
Cumberland Gardens. He held ofifice until 1779, 
when Thomas Taylor became commodore. 

Commodore Taylor appears to have been an en- 
thusiastic yachtsman and an excellent commander. 
He built and owned several yachts, — celebrated in 
their day. One of his notes, attached to a list of 
signals issued in 1779, reads: "Amusement being 
the principal Business of the Society the Commo- 
dore hopes every Captain will answer his signal as 
soon as the situation of "the Vessel he commands 
will Admit: he flatters himself the rather in this, 
when he considers the Spectators will Judge from 
thence of the Excellence of the respective vessels, 
the Propriety of the Management of each and the 
good disposition of the Whole. N. B. — Each Sig- 
nal to be kept flying only about five minutes, yet 
still to be observed until another is hoisted." 

From which it appears that the fleet not only 
raced but cruised under the orders of the com- 
modore, and in the year 1776, went up the Thames 
with " colours flying and music playing, in honor of 
the King's Birthday." In 1778 the fleet held a 
review off Sheerness, commemorated by Kitching- 
man in an engraving, which is here reproduced. 



200 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 



In 1776 the Duke of Cumberland's Cup was 
won by the King's Fisher, owned by Commodore 
Taylor. She was 20 feet in length, 7 feet in 
breadth, and was built by Adams & Doe, Butt 
Stairs, Blackfriars. 

In 1777 a yacht named the Hawke, one of the 
Cumberland Fleet, while cruising in the English 
Channel, was chased into Calais by an American 
privateer. 




THE CUMBERLAND" 



In 1780 Commodore Taylor, with his yacht the 
Cumberland, won the cup given by the Duke of 



»^l»^^ 



mS 1CHTING 



) l.KJ\^l Itl ' 



her, owned by Comii 

feet in length, 7 f 

\dams & Dot 

_ named the A. , '.me of the- 

i Fleet ^ing '" ^^^ ^ 

IS chased into Calais by an AiVi 



The Climber laud. 1780. 



In iT60 >_omnioaore Taylor, wmi nis yacnc i 
Cu i}-h:^rJ,i ■.■■^ won flip riir) '<Tiven bv the Duke 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 201 



Cumberland ; and in the following year the seventh 
cup given by the Duke of Cumberland was sailed 
for. This year's one was valued at 50 guineas 
and only yachts of the Cumberland Fleet that had 
won former prizes were permitted to sail. But the 
following resolution was passed subsequently : 
" Members of the Society, with the permission 
of His Royal Highness, challenge and invite all 
gentlemen, proprietors of pleasure-sailing boats, 
within the British dominions, to join with them 
in the contention." This match, accordingly, was 
sailed on July 9, 1781, and was won also by the 








LINES OF THE "CUMBERLAND" 

Cumberland, Commodore Taylor, and " caused 
much excitement, and many thousand persons were 
assembled on the banks of the river." 

In 1 78 1 Naval Architecture, by Marmaduke 
Stalkartt, was published in London, — the most im- 
portant work on shipbuilding that had appeared in 
Great Britain up to that date. Some twenty-eight 
pages of it are devoted to the construction of the 
yacht (pp. 28-57), also eighteen pages (pp. 177— 
195), to the construction of the cutter, but no 
reference is made to the schooner. 



202 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

On August lo, 17S2, the first sailing-match of 
the Cumberland Fleet in the lower Thames took 
place, the course being from Cuckholds Point to 
the Lower Hope, for a wager of ;^4o between the 
Caroline, Captain Coffin, and Eagle, Captain 
Grubb. The Caroline won. 

In the year 17S2, the Duke of Cumberland for 
the last time presented a cup to the Cumberland 
Fleet. However, he continued to be its patron 
till his death, in i 790. This cup was won by the 
Caroline, Captain Coffin. — More than a hundred 
years afterward this cup was taken out of a pawn- 
broker's shop in San Francisco. A representation 
of the match, — as engraved and published by 
Henry Williams, London, — is herewith reproduced. 

In the year 17S3 the Duke of Richmond had a 
large yacht built at Southampton, on board of 
which he frequently visited France ; but her name 
is not known, and no further particulars concerning 
her have been preserved. 

In 17S4 the yacht Lively, owned by Mr. Shutle- 
worth, who also owned a beautiful villa on the 
Thames, visited the United States. This yacht 
was 140 tons, mounted 10 guns, and carried a crew 
of 25 men. Mr. Shutleworth was fond of ocean- 
cruises and made a number of them. This voyage 
occupied about fourteen months. During which he 
cruised from the coast of Florida to Hudson Bay, 
and entertained George Washington while in the 
Delaware ; a beautiful French woman and several 
professional men sailed with him. His fortune 
was £20,000 per annum. 



H siijRKal'l 



jhh 






,r.H 



TORY OF YACRTThTrr 

tiie Hi 






for a A 
plain CofUm, aud i^agie. Captain 

Duke of Cumbrrland for 
seated a cup to tl -erJand 

f^asllre Boats" Sailing' foP'th'e^ Duke of Cumberland's 
n. CyTi^iS cup - 



jju bashed 



Racing Card_ of Vauxhall Garden Sailincr-Match. 



men 




Defcript:oTS of the dijiinguijlnug Colouj^s of the 
PLEASURE BOATS -jchkh Sai! o;t Friday, 
July 2, for tie CV ? givcff by the Proi'riktors c;/ 
VAUXHALL GARDENS 




Eich of llic Race Boats will bs O'lftini^uifhiil by a St. Clccrgc'i hroad Psndaii-^ 
T.z- » red Crofe on white ground, al her Peak; marked witli bloc tpots or bills, 

:. It ihrab'ivcPiaii. Tlic Flift in tlit fiibjoiiicil I.ift, wil! lave the :"pol NtM : 
--'. .=;■..;■■:.: 's'-.s.! iiiiii; (Iic Vi-';il j - ii"' 3. s.hICj on prcs^-iiitf'vV 

L/ S7 OF B O JTS. 

;:^!Un^ -.1- A^:]'.y. : .^ry-.H, , XVll. 3 

Tanir^ " — Wilmfity, lUrynnfmiih, Xli. i 

C',-iri>:;brt^» ConiiaiJorc Taylor, Ltniu-t XU. f 



:'. S. ^,R C;;r.ilt;l».-id \t not iniredcd 10 flatti but ;alac.l bjr !k: 0*r.cr 

■:« cii^blit her r;ra( 'o Sail. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 203 

As we have seen, the first boat fitted with a 
sliding keel was constructed by Captain Schank, at 
Boston, Massachusetts, in 1774. Upon his return 
to England, Schank continued his experiments, 
and in 1778 built a boat at Deptford, fitted with 




three sliding keels. This proved so successful 
that in the year 1 789 he prevailed upon the Navy 
Board to allow him to construct two boats of 
thirteen tons each at Deptford, one of the old type, 
the other with sliding keels. In 1 790 a competitive 



204 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

trial was made on the Thames, in presence of the 
Commissioners of the Navy. Both boats carried 
the same quantity of sail, and although the boat of 
the old type had lee boards, and two Thames pilots 
on board, the boat fitted with sliding keels out- 
sailed her one-half the distance. This experiment 
was so satisfactory that the Lords of the Admiralty 
immediately ordered a cutter of 120 tons to be 
built under the direction of Schank. This vessel 
was the Trial, launched at Plymouth in 1791. 
Subsequently, the sloop of war Cynthia, and brig 
Lady Nelson, of 60 tons, was built by the Govern- 
ment. All these vessels were fitted with sliding 
keels, and, according to the evidence of their offi- 
cers and crews, were in every way satisfactory. 



THE LADY NELSON" 



The Lady Nelson, under command of Lieutenant 
James Grant, made a successful voyage of dis- 
covery to New South Wales in the year 1800. In 
1799 there were 43 gun-vessels in the Royal Navy 
fitted with sliding keels, mounting ten 18-pound 
carronades, two long 24-pounders, carrying crews 
of 50 men each, and commanded by lieutenants. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 205 

Commodore Taylor built and owned four yachts 
named the Cumberland. One, No. IV., was fitted 
with five sliding keels. A portrait of her model is 




here given. In 1795 he also built a yacht named 
the Columbus, fitted with three sliding keels. Why 
this useful invention was abandoned, except to be 
replaced by the more convenient centre-board, is 
difificult to understand. 



CHAPTER X 

THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY AND 
BRITISH NAVY 

The English East India Company — Its ships and discipline — Profits — 
Writer-ships — Tyepans — Exploits of the Indiamen — Capture of the 
Dutch Oriental fleet, 1795 — St. Helena — Table Bay — Leisurely voy- 
ages, good fare, and pleasant episodes — Size and equipment of the 
East India ships — Development of the Royal Navy — British frigates — 
Guns and carronades — Nelson's flagship — Exploits of the British Navy. 

MENTION has been made of the ships of the 
English East India Company — the famous 
old Indiamen — which so closely resembled the 
Royal yachts of that period, and their voyages 
were so much like yachting cruises, that a further 
reference to them may not be out of place. These 
vessels were fitted in the most luxurious manner of 
their time, for the conveyance of passengers, many 
of whom were personages of high ofificial rank, 
social position and wealth, so that the social ele- 
ment entered largely into these voyages. It was 
therefore necessary that the captains and ofificers 
should be gentlemen as well as seamen, for it re- 
quired almost as much social tact as good seaman- 
ship to command these vessels successfully. 

In those days a voyage to India or China was a 
serious undertaking for passengers, requiring care- 
ful preparation : the most favorable season for a 

pleasant voyage was decided upon ; then a ship 

206 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 207 

was selected, and, as most of these vessels bore 
reputations established by former passengers, the 
various vessels, together with the manners and 
morals of their commanders, received due atten- 
tion ; then, and this was most important, the other 
passengers — friends or foes — who had taken or 
who might be taking passage, received proper 
scrutiny. Cabins, or what are now known as state- 
rooms, were then engaged, and furnished with great 
care, for, on those voyages, it was the custom for 
passengers to provide their own furniture, in order 
that their personal ideas of comfort might be car- 
ried out. All of these matters being arranged and 
a stock of private stores, wines, etc., laid in, the 
passengers were ready to embark upon a voyage 
which was almost certain to last at least five months, 
probably six or seven months, and possibly eight 
months or even longer : so the voyagers to and 
from India and China came to regard these ships 
as their floating homes, and settled down comfort- 
ably to the full enjoyment of the benefit and pleas- 
ure of an ocean voyage. 

Naturally, it would be interesting to follow the 
romantic career of this colossal monopoly — with its 
fleets of heavily-armed frigate-built ships, its gov- 
ernors, boards of council, tyepans, forts, and armies ; 
but a brief sketch will suffice to indicate the scale 
upon which the affairs of "The United Company 
of Merchants of England trading to the East 
Indies " were conducted. 

In the year 1708 the old and the new Companies 
were united, the resultant Company becoming in 



2o8 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

time the possessor of a considerable part of the 
vast Continent of India, and ruler over more than 
a hundred million people. The equipment of the 
vessels of this Company was as elaborate as any 
man-of-war of that period ; besides being, as already 
mentioned, expensively fitted for passengers. The 
ships, also, were allowed to fly the man-of-war pen- 
nant, and the crews slept in hammocks, piped up 
by the boatswain at seven bells in the morning 
watch, and stowed in nettings along the waist by 
the quartermasters. The crew of each vessel was 
divided into messes of eight men ; a space allotted 
to them between the guns where their mess-gear 
was kept. Every commander in the Company's 
service was required to be at least twenty-five years 
of age, the chief mates twenty-three years, and the 
second mates twenty-two years of age. All were 
required also to have performed voyages in the 
China and East-India trade. The commander's 
uniform consisted of a blue coat, black-velvet lap- 
pels, cuffs, and collar, with bright gold embroidery, 
deep-buff waistcoat and breeches, buttons of yellow- 
gold metal, engraved with the Company's crest, 
cocked hat, side arms, and black stocks, or neck- 
cloths. The dress of the officers was slighty modi- 
fied, according to the rank. 

Many were the privileges and perquisites. So 
much so that five India or China voyages were 
estimated sufficient for a commander to be inde- 
pendent the remainder of his days, his profits on 
each voyage ranging from ;^8ooo to ;^ 10,000. 
Aboard of each ship, ninety-seven tons of space 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 209 

was allowed to the commander and officers, includ- 
ing the petty officers, such as quartermasters, stew- 
ards, cooks, carpenter, boatswains, gunners, caulker, 
armorer, and sailmaker, — the commander himself 
having fifty-six and a half tons of space. This 
liberality naturally attracted the finest type of 
young men in England, who entered the Com- 
pany's service as midshipmen, having been ap- 
pointed by the Court of Directors. 

The Court of Directors had also rich gifts to 
bestow upon deserving friends and relatives : Gov- 
ernors and members of the Indian Council had to 
be appointed, and there were also writerships 
worth from ;^40oo to _;^6ooo per annum. But 
the appointment of young men to the civil service 
of the company in China was reserved exclusively 
for the Chairman, who invariably bestowed these 
appointments upon some near kinsman of his own, 
or upon a kinsman of one of the directors, who, in 
due course, would, in some form, reciprocate. 
These young men, then, had only to live to be- 
come tyepans, — positions estimated to be worth 
^'20,000 per annum. Nor were the directors 
wholly unmindful of themselves. For while 
their remuneration was nominally ^300 per an- 
num, each directorship was estimated to be worth 
^10,000 per annum, in one form or another. The 
eagerness therefore with which these directorships 
were sought, and the sums of money paid to ob- 
tain them, demonstrates that their estimated worth 
was carefully considered ; that these men took 
good care of themselves. 



2IO THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Yet with all this glittering surety of success, the 
Company's ships often were obliged to fight their 
way. And this they were able to do. In 1703 the 
Company's ships Chambers and Canterbury, in the 
Straits of Malacca, engaged, in the night, a French 
sixty-four and a frigate. The Canterbury was 
taken, but the Chambers fought gallantly on, and, 
having crippled the two French men-of-war, es- 
caped. Her commander's log records : " To pre- 
vent all thought among my men of surrendering 
ye ship, and make ym desperate, I nailed the en- 
signe to the staff from head to foot, stapled and 
fore-cocked the ensigne staff fast up ; ! resolved to 
part with the ship and life together." 

In 1757 the Company's ships Suffolk, Houghton, 
aud Godolphin, fought two French frigates off the 
Cape of Good Hope, and, after a smart action, 
beat them off. The Court of Directors com- 
mended the conduct of the commanders, officers, 
and crews, and rewarded the crew of each ship 
with ^2000. In 1760 the Company's ship Win- 
chelsea fought a French frigate single-handed, and 
beat her off. In this year the rate of freight was 
;^40 per ton, or exactly the figure it cost per 
ton, to construct these expensive vessels. In 1772 
the India fleet alone numbered thirty-three ships, 
23,159 tons, builders' measurement, which brought 
home 21,158 tons of merchandise, at a rate of ^32 
per ton freight. In 1773 the affairs of the Com- 
pany attracted the attention of Parliament. Sir 
Richard Hotham — himself a shipowner — appeared 
as a witness. Among other things, he stated that 



THE HISTOR Y OF YA CHTING 2 1 1 

he was prepared to bring goods from any part of 
the East for £21 per ton. This inquiry resulted 
in the Company building larger and even finer 
vessels. 

In 1779 the Bridgewater fought an American 
privateer of superior force, and beat her off. For 
this the crew received a reward of ;!^2000. In 1 795 
an expedition was fitted out at St. Helena — consist- 
ing of the Company's ships Goddard, Mauship, 
Hawksbury, Airly Castle, Asia, Essex, and Bus- 
bridge — which proceeded to cruise to windward of 
the island. Here they intercepted and captured a 
valuable fleet of nine Dutch East Indiamen, thereby 
resulting in the annihilation of the Dutch East India 
Company. In 1800 the Company's ship Exeter 
captured the French frigate MdUe. Many other in- 
stances might be cited tending to show the fighting 
ability of these ships, and that of their officers and 
crews. 

In 1787 Dodd painted the portrait of an East 
Indiaman leaving the Downs, outward bound, 
which is here reproduced, and gives an excellent 
idea of the Indiaman at that period. 

At the present day it is difficult to realize the 
comfort and luxury aboard these oldtime ships, 
or the leisurely, dignified manner in which they 
navigated the seas. The commanders of these 
Indiamen also appear to have been gentlemen 
whose whole idea of commanding a ship was safety 
and comfort, with no desire whatever to get a 
vessel to do her best work in the way of speed. 
They took excellent care of their spars, rigging, 



212 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

and sails, and never subjected them to unnecessary 
strains by carrying too much canvas. As evening 
approached, they used to " make snug for the 
night," and even in fine weather the light sails were 
usually taken in and stowed, remaining in their 
gaskets until morning. On sailing from London 
to India or China, it was customary to drop down 
the Thames as far as Gravesend, and there anchor 
for one, two, or three days ; then to proceed as far 
as the Downs when the anchor was again let go. 
If the wind was favorable, not more than a day 
or two was spent there, but if the wind happened 
to be from the westward, days and weeks would 
pass, until it shifted into a quarter that would let 
the ship lay her course down channel, then another 
start would be made. If an Indiaman managed to 
pass the Wight without going into Spithead, it 
was regarded as "a fine run down channel," and 
the voyage was fairly begun. When two of the 
Company's ships fell in with each other at sea, and 
the weather was fine, it was usual for them to 
heave-to for hours, the captains, officers, and pas- 
sengers exchanging visits, and lunching and dining 
aboard each other's ships until every one was quite 
ready, later on, to return to his own vessel and 
resume the voyage. 

On the voyages to and from India and China, 
the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena were 
favorite ports of call. But St. Helena not being 
a particularly comfortable or safe place for a 
ship to lie, few captains cared to remain there 
for more than a day or two. The Cape of 



^!^':'^ 



.y.y.-,, 



YACHTING 

- _j subjected them t 
•ing too much can 

make snug t 
^ven in line vveataer the light sails were 
.n in and stowed, remaining in their 
il morning. On sailing from London 
■ na, it was customary to drop 
lines as far as Gravesend, and there ancn 
lii ,u ij, two, or three days ; then to r;-- i as far 
as the Dov'tT^ when the anchor was . , et sfo, 

nore tl 
J, but if the wind haj 
' '"vs and 

uarter t;:... . .^y.. ! - 
, An East. Indiamaoharft{(§^-then annth^ 
citprt would be ma. an Indiaman mana , 

""ight without going into Spithead, lU 
!>..., ..,i_..xJad as "a fine run down channel," and 
the voyage was fairly begun. When two of the 
Company's ships fell in with each othei^at sea, and 
the weather .was fine, it was usual for them ' 
heave-to for hours, the captains, officers, and pa;^- 
scagers exchanging visits, rind lunching and dining^ 
aboard each other's sh :ry one 

-> own vessel a; 
ru;::../ me vo\ 

le voy^. ,, _: om India and Chin 

oe of Good Hope and St. Helena wc 

rts of call. But St. Helena not being 
oularly comfortable or safe pi? 
K,. fo«,- cEiptains cared '•' ■■• ' 
. day or two 



t. 




^•^-I^' 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 213 

Good Hope, however, offered excellent facili- 
ties for rest and refreshment ; so here the out- 
ward and homeward-bound ships of the Com- 
pany met. The captains, officers, and crews all 
knew one another, and were bound together by 
common interests. Also the passengers ; the vari- 
ous officials of the Company, traveling to and from 
India with their families ; the officers of the mili- 
tary forces of the Company and their families ; 
besides the soldiers under their command. These 
people all met at the Cape, and the latest news 
from England was exchanged for the gossip of 
the Company's settlements in Canton, Calcutta, 
Madras, and Bombay. Old and new friends met 
at dinners, dances, lunches, and receptions. And 
when a number of ships happened to be in at the 
Cape, it was more like a Cowes-Regatta week than 
a gratherine of merchantmen. After a week or two 
spent in this way, letters were written to friends at 
home or to those left behind in China or India, the 
topsails sheeted home, yards mastheaded, anchor 
hove up, farewells given to the outward-and home- 
ward-bound, and. amid the smoke of parting 
salutes, the Indiamen of the eighteenth century 
started on their way, eastward across the Indian 
Ocean, Bay of Bengal, or China Seas. 

Upon the arrival of the Company's ships in 
China or India, the sails were unbent and sent on 
shore, masts and yards sent down, and decks 
housed over with a roof of matting. Here the 
ships would lie for months discharging and re- 
ceiving their cargoes, when, at last, amid great 



2 14 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

rejoicings, the homeward-bound pennant and blue- 
peter would be hoisted, and the voyage home 
would begin. 

As may be imagined, these voyages consumed a 
good deal of time ; but they were comfortable and 
pleasant, with the best of provisions and good 
cheer. Indeed, these vessels carried quite a farm- 
yard ; cows, goats, pigs, sheep, geese, ducks, tur- 
keys, and chickens. One passenger — Dr. John 
Fryer — records, " That though a tedious voyage 
of seven months, it passed away merrily, with 
good wine, and no bad musick, but the life of all 
good company, and an honest commander, who fed 
us with fresh provisions of turkeys, geese, ducks, 
hens, suckling pigs, sheep, goats, etc., and to crown 
all, the day we made England, kill'd us a fatted 
calf, so that you may spare that welcome when you 
receive this." 

Here is an extract from a Victualling Bill of one 
of the Company's ships, of 1200 tons, for an India 
voyage : " Ale, Beer, Wine, or other liquors, in 
casks or bottles, for the use of the commander's 
table, allowing 252 gallons, or 86 doz. quart-bottles 
per tun. Thirteen (13) and one-half (^) tuns 
Beer, strong and small, in casks (not bottles). 
Twenty-eight (28) tuns. Brandy, or other spirits 
for the ship's company. Ten (10) puncheons." The 
officers were provided for in the matter of refresh- 
ment as follows : First mate, twenty-four (24) 
dozen of wine or beer ; second mate, twenty (20) 
dozen ; the other officers were attended to on a 
similar scale for each voyage. 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 215 

And so these famous old ships sailed upon their 
long voyages year after year. Each was a little 
community complete in itself ; the pleasure of the 
voyage depending largely upon the character of the 
captain, and the ability and willingness of the pas- 
sengers to make themselves agreeable to each 
other ; for, like larger communities, they had the 
same old problems to deal with ; births, marriages, 
deaths, love, devotion, friendship, intrigue, mean- 
ness, gossip, and scandal ; indeed, all the phases of 
human nature, which make and have always made 
the happiness or the misery of life. 

From the year 1702 until 1750 the Company's 
ships ranged from 275 tons to 500 tons burden, a 
favorite tonnage being 499 tons. In 1797 no ship 
owned by the Company exceeded 1000 tons. After 
that date, however, several ships were built of be- 
tween 1300 and 1400 tons; and one vessel, the 
largest of the fleet, was 14 17 tons. This was the 
Earl of Balcarras, built entirely of India teak at 
Bombay in the year 181 5. She carried a crew of 
132 men; composed of the commander, six mates, 
a surgeon and his assistant, six midshipmen, purser, 
boatswain, gunner, carpenter, master-at-arms, arm- 
ourer ; butcher, baker, poulterer, caulker, cooper 
two stewards, two cooks, and eight boatswains ; 
gunner's, carpenter's, caulker's, and cooper's mates ; 
six quartermasters, one sailmaker, seven servants 
appropriated to the commander and officers, sev- 
enty-eight able seamen, and mounted twenty-six 
guns. 

Another fine ship was the Thames, 26 guns, 



2i6 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

1360 tons, with a crew of 130 men. Built at Lon- 
don in 1819, this was the largest, and one of the 
last, ships built in England by the Company ; for 
in 1832 the commerce of India and China was 
opened to free trade; whereupon the East India 
Company passed out of existence. 

The Navy of Great Britain also steadily devel- 
oped and increased. In 1757 the Augusta, 60 
guns, Dreadnought, 60 guns, and Edi7ibtirgh, 64 
guns, fought a battle with a squadron of seven 
French line-of-battleships off Cape Fran9ois, in 
which the French ships were defeated. In this 
year also the SoiUhampton and Diana were 
launched. These ships were of 671 tons, and 
mounted twenty-six 12-pounders on the main deck, 
four 6-pounders on the quarter-deck, and two 
6-pounders on the forecastle, — and James remarks 
that " these vessels may be considered as the 
first genuine frigates built in England ; that is, 
the first English ships constructed to carry guns on 
a single whole-deck, quarter-deck, and fore-castle." 
In 1 76 1 copper was first used for sheathing upon 
the 32-gun frigate Alarm, but it was not until 1764 
that a second ship the Dolphin, was coppered, and 
nine months later the Jaso7i, and in 1 776 the 
Daphne, also four others ; and by 1 783 nearly 
every ship in the British Navy was sheathed with 
copper. In 1780-82, five 38-gun frigates, of 950 
tons each, were launched: the Minerva, Arethusa, 
Latona, Phaeton, and Thetis. In 1779 the car- 
ronade was invented by General Robert Melville, 
its name being derived from Carron in Scotland, 



THE HISTOR Y OF YA CHTING 2 1 7 

where the first one was cast. In 1782 the Rainbow 
captured the French frigate Hebe ; and James re- 
marks that this prize " did prove a most valuable 
acquisition to the service, there being very few 
British frigates even of the present day (1847) 
which, in size and exterior form, are not copied from 
the Hebe." She measured 1063 tons, and mounted 
40 guns; twenty-eight 18- and twelve lo-pounders. 
Between the year 1756 and 1788 were built the 
98-gun-ships Bar/leur, Duke, Prince George, St. 
George, Queen, Princess Royal, and between the 
years 1794 and 1798 the Dreadnotight, Neptune, 
Prince of Wales, and Temeraire, of the same class. 

The name Victory has existed almost constantly 
in the British Navy since the year 1570. The 
most renowned vessel bearing it was the flagship 
of Lord Nelson at Trafalgar, in 1805, built at 
Chatham, and designed by Sir Thomas Slade, in 
the year 1765. Her length of gun-deck was 186 
feet ; breadth, 5 1 feet 6 inches ; depth of hold, 2 1 
feet 6 inches ; tonnage, 2 164 tons ; 104 guns ; made 
up of 32-, 18-, 13-, and 12-pounders. In 1714 the 
Royal Navy consisted of 147 ships and vessels 
measuring 197,2 19 tons, manned by 40,000 seamen. 
In 1760 there were 412 ships and vessels measuring 
321,104 tons; and in 1783, 617 ships and vessels 
measuring 500,781 tons. 

During the wars (i 793-1800) with France, Spain, 
and Holland, Great Britain destroyed or captured 
from the enemy, 86 ships of the line, 209 frigates, 
275 sloops and smaller vessels, — total, 570; and 
lost 5 ships of the line, 13 frigates, 41 sloops and 



2i8 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

smaller vessels, — total, 59. During these wars the 
Government frequently availed itself of the ships 
and seamen belonging to the East India Company, 
which did excellent service. 

At the end of that century Great Britain pos- 
sessed a navy and mercantile marine probably 
equal to the combined powers of Europe. Not, 
perhaps, in the number or in even the fighting 
power of her ships and guns ; but in the skill and 
courage of her seamen, in their stern reliance upon 
themselves, — the fruit of many a hard-fought battle 
upon the ocean, — crowned by the glorious victory 
at Trafalgar, although in that action the greatest of 
all England's naval heroes fell wounded unto death. 

In 1805 Pocock painted the portraits of the Aga- 
memnon, Captain, Vanguard, Elephant, and Victory, 
the five ships with which Lord Nelson achieved his 
memorable victories. The picture is here produced. 

And yet, despite this power, this magnificent 
navy of Great Britain was unable in 181 2 to con- 
quer the United States upon the sea, nor even 
render the English and St. George's Channels safe 
avenues of commerce for the merchant ships of 
Great Britain. The massive construction and 
weight of the British men-of-war was their great- 
est source of weakness — they could seldom cope 
successfully with the heavily armed, light-built, 
swift, and skilfully-handled American frigates and 
privateers. 




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CHAPTER XI 

EARLIEST YACHT CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN 

The Vauxhall annual cup races — The Prince of Wales, Nancy, Cumber- 
land, Mermaid, Vixeti, and other winning yachts — Bristol Sailing 
Society cup race of 1796 ; won by the Antelope — State Lottery cup, 
1807 ; won by the Mercury — The Bellissima — The last Vauxhall 
cup, iSio — Cumberland Subscription cups, 1812 — The Mercury cham- 
pion of the Thames — Cruising in the Lower Thames — The yacht 
Royal Sovereign — Effort to revive the Water Club of Cork — William 
Fife, Clyde yacht builder — The yacht Leopard built by Lynn Ratsey, 
of Cowes — Thomas White, of Cowes — Earl Warwick, king of Wight — 
First meeting of the Yacht Club, 1815 — Cowes Castle — Its priceless 
archives — Conclusion. 

WE are indebted to the Sporting Magazine, and 
London newspapers of the time, for nearly 
all the data relating to early yacht racing on the 
Thames. It was at this period that public atten- 
tion was first directed to yachting in England — not 
so much by yachtsmen, as through the exertions of 
those whose business it was to provide fashionable 
entertainments on the beautiful banks of the 
Thames, in the days when the Vauxhall Gardens 
were the gay midsummer resort of beauty and 
fashion. This famous pleasure ground passed 
away long ago, and now is but a faded memory of 
the past. 

In the year 1786 Mr. Jonathon Tyars became the 
proprietor of the Vauxhall Gardens. To celebrate 

2ig 



2 20 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the gar- 
dens, he gave an annual silver cup and cover to 
be sailed for by the Cumberland Fleet ; also a 
wherry to be rowed for by the Thames watermen. 
The first Vauxhall Cup was won by the Prince of 
Wales. 

Because of some mistake made in carrying out 
the saiHng directions, the match of July 19, 1787, 
was ordered to be re-sailed on August 3d ; it was 
won by the Nancy, Captain Dore, the Blue Dragon 
being disqualified for booming out her jib. 

At this time it was the custom for gentlemen 
owning yachts, which they intended to race, to 
meet at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the 
Strand, and draw lots for position on the line at 
starting. No doubt these meetings were made the 
occasions of friendly and pleasant intercourse among 
yachtsmen and their friends, much to the satisfac- 
tion and profit of the landlord. 

July 14, 1789, the Vauxhall Cup was sailed for 
by the following yachts : Mercury, Captain Astley, 
8 tons ; Adventure, Captain Walmsley, 10 tons ; 
Phcenix, Captain Parkins, 1 2 tons ; Duke of Cum- 
berland, Captain Loveday, 1 1 tons ; Eoltis, Captain 
Windle, 5 tons ; Venus, Captain Grayfort, 4 tons ; 
Eagle, Captain Grubb, 8 tons ; Nancy, Captain 
Luson, 1 2 tons ; Griffin, Lord Paget, 4 tons ; 
{Cumberland, Commodore Taylor, 13 tons : entered 
but not intended to sail). This match was won by 
the Phcenix, Captain Parkins. This record is taken 
from Commodore Taylor's writing, and it is inter- 
esting to note that Lord Paget, — afterward Earl of 



Invitation Card of the Gumberland Fleet. 

t thesp. nieetin>;'« were m; 




^^>^ /a-? / ^ f^'ce-ip^— 



rye re rr 'r ''< 



ry -tfr ''<i-^^-'/ ^ 



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./Z^j-X'- /A erf- r.^^ 




THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 221 

Uxbridge, and later the first Marquis of Angle- 
sey, — owner of the splendid cutter Pearl, was a 
participant in this match. 

July 2, 1790, the Vauxhall Cup of the year was 
sailed for by the following yachts : Mercury, Cap- 
tain Simms, 8 tons ; Adve.fiture, Captain Paillis, 10 
tons ; Eclipse, Captain Astley, 1 7 tons ; Tarter, 
Captain Walmsley, 1 2 tons ; Cumberland, Commo- 
dore Taylor, 12 tons. " N. B. The Cumberland 
is not intended to start, but entered by her owner 
to establish his right to sail." This match was 
won by the Eclipse, Captain Astley. 

In the year 1791 the Mercury, Captain Astley, 
won the Vauxhall Cup. While a salute was being 
fired at the Cumberland Gardens in honor of her 
victory, the gun burst and two men were killed. 

October 20, 1792, a match was sailed at Ply- 
mouth, between the cutter Prince and schooner 
Clarence. " The course was from a buoy off the 
east end of St. Nicholas Island, thence round the 
Spell Buoy and return ; the wind was blowing hard 
from the S. W. with a heavy sea. The vessels 
started at 1 1 a.m. the Prince taking the lead, owing 
to the Clarence having a reef in her fore and main 
sails, but as soon as the reefs were turned out, the 
Clarence worked out to windward of the Prince, 
rounded the buoy ahead and won by a considerable 
distance. The Prince is an excellent fine cutter, 
copper-bottomed and sails remarkably well : the 
Clarence is of a new construction and sails so well 
that it is supposed she is one of the finest vessels 
ever built." 



222 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

July 27, 1793, the Cumberland, Commodore Tay- 
lor, and the Eclipse, Captain Astley, sailed a match, 
the wager being a turtle. This match was won by 
the Cumberland, and thereupon the good commo- 
dore invited his captains to a turtle-feast. 

In 1794 the enterprising proprietors of Vauxhall 
Gardens added to the attractiveness of the sailing 
and rowing matches, by placing on the river a float 
upon which was mounted a Neptune's Car drawn 
by tritons, containing a representation of Father 
Thames, attended by a variety of river gods, god- 
desses, and bands of music. The whole affair was 
propelled by some invisible means, and appears 
to have been an object of great wonder and 
admiration. 

July 28th a Cowes schooner-yacht, with the 
owner and a party of friends on board, was cap- 
tured by a French privateer named the Dagomar, 
and was taken into Dunkirk. 

In 1 795 the Vauxhall Cup was sailed for by the 
following yachts : Busy, Captain Pickering ; Mer- 
maid, Captain Edgeley ; Kitly, Captain Richards ; 
St. George, Captain Gunston ; Vixen, Captain Fair- 
brother ; Mercury, Captain Astley. 

The yachts were started at a quarter to six in 
the afternoon from Blackfriars Bridge. A fresh 
breeze having been blowing from the westward, 
several of the boats had taken in reefs ; but the 
Mercury carried all sail, and led the fleet four min- 
utes at Westminster Bridge. Between Westminster 
and Vauxhall the Merciiry and Vixen fouled, and 
a miniature naval combat ensued. To simplify 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 223 

matters the captain of the Vixen, armed with a cut- 
lass, slashed away at the rigging of the Mercury, 
and did great execution. In the meantime, the Mer- 
maid took the lead, and arrived at the mark-boat, 
off Vauxhall, at a quarter past eight, winning the 
cup, the Mercury in a disabled condition being the 
fourth boat. "At night the Gardens at Vauxhall 
were filled with people and the cups of the preced- 
ing years were exhibited to a crowd of spectators, 
who were highly pleased with their evening's enter- 
tainment." 

In 1796 the Vauxhall Cup was sailed for from 
Vauxhall Gardens to Putney Bridge by the Vixen, 
Captain Fairbrother, and the Mercury, Captain 
Astley. The wind was light, with rain showers, 
and the Vixen drifted past the mark-boat the win- 
ner. " The river was covered with vessels of all 
descriptions from barges to wherrys, and the Turk- 
ish Ambassador was in the Vauxhall cutter, and the 
magnificent car was exhibited on the occasion filled 
with musicians, and formed no less a splendid sight 
than an attractive entertainment." 

July 21, 1796, the Bristol Sailing Society, at 
Kingsroad, held a match, which was sailed around 
the Holmes. The following boats were entered : 
Severn, Dispatch, Antelope, Dolphin, Experiment, 
Hope, Frolic, Fancy, Industry, and Chausen (a 
Dutch boat). They started at 8 a.m., the wind 
strong from the westward. " The waves were so 
high that only four boats could keep the sea, and 
the other six were obliofed to run into different 
places for shelter. The Antelope was the first boat 



2 24 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

home, leading the Dolphin by two minutes, the 
Hope third, and Experiment fourth, when the first 
three received their respective silver cups and the 
Experiment a telescope." 

August II, 1797, the Mercury and Providence 
sailed a match from Gun Wharf, Blackwall, round 
the Nore light-ship and return, for a wager of 40 
guineas, which was won by the Mercury in twelve 
hours and five minutes, she leading the Providence 
by twenty miles. 

The Vauxhall Cup for 1798, was sailed for on 
July 1 8th, by the Caroline, Active, Nymph, and 
Providence. There was a good breeze at starting, 
but it moderated to a calm and the Nymph won 
the prize. 

July 23, 1799, a match was sailed between the 
Atalanta and the Anjt Sarah from Cockholds 
Point, round a boat, moored at Coal House Point, 
and return. There was a good breeze and, after 
"a close and exciting race, the Atalanta won." 

In the year 1800 the Vauxhall Cup was won 
by the Cumberland, Captain Byrne. An engrav- 
ing that appeared in the Sporting Magazine of that 
year, representing the yachts passing the com- 
mittee boat, is here reproduced. In this year also 
a match was sailed on May 1 5th, between the Mary 
Ann, the Earl of Wickham's yacht, and the Earl 
Spencer, of Gravesend, for 50 guineas. The course 
was from Gravesend, round the Ouse buoy, and 
return, a distance of sixty miles. This match was 
won by the Earl Spencer, which made the distance 
in six hours and a half. The tide, no doubt, was 



.oo8i 




"STORY OF 



: il b). tvVO Uii. 

nt fourth, whei: .• .,i 
tive silver cups and the 



The 







and Prov 








:'., Blac' '^ . 


--•ana 






: . for r 


.-.f Ar^ 


was won 


lb; 






alnutes, 


she 


leading t; 
Active, 






a 


^ood breeze at starting. 



-oUtjfateU CO a i-aim and ' " ' n 

The Vauxhall Sailing-Match. 1800. 
';?. T70Q, a match was sailed between the. 
'■^arah fror holds 

: Coal ' 
v\ ..- . ^uud breez'j 
y mcr^. the Atalanta ■. 
"^auxhall Cup 



ween ■ 

t, and the; 

■-" j-'i, ""ivias. .Th" 
'iind th"; 0'jf;e h 



a, a distance o 



" Jifififfiwwf iii|i||iir' ' ' ^- ^^p"pwf if If f * 




,i;;'!r. 




THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 225 

strong, and the yacht was fortunate probably 
in having it fair both ways, else it is difficult to 
account for this remarkable rate of speed, even 
with a leading wind out and back. 

The Vauxhall Cup of 1801, which was won by 
the Atalanta, Captain Smith, was presented by 
him to be sailed for again. On July 30th, accord- 
ingly, the match took place between the following 
yachts : Caroline, Mercury, Experiment, Calipso, 
Swift, Mermaid, and Vixen. No yacht above 10 
tons was allowed to sail ; and after a close race 
between the Mercury and Mermaid, the former 
won. 

On September 17, 1802, there was a sailing- 
match at Southampton, in which nineteen vessels 
Started. The prizes appear to have been given 
for working vessels, and the first prize of 6 guineas 
was won by the Trial, John Bryer ; the second 
prize of 3 guineas by the Two Brothers, Charles 
Chapman ; and the third prize of 2 guineas by the 
Jane, John Diaper; the others were allowed i 
guinea each. " William Cooper, of the Mary Ann 
was very forward on the return, but instantly 
backed sail and stood firm to preserve three men 
who had capsized in a pleasure-boat, whom he suc- 
ceeded in saving. The Marquis of Anspach's 
beautiful yacht, Mr. Fitzgeralds, etc., were loaded 
with ladies and gentlemen to behold the contest, 
together with a vast assemblage of fashionables on 
the beach. A band of musicians was on the Rose 
cutter." 

July 29, 1804, there was a sailing-match on the 



226 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Thames for a cup valued at 30 guineas, in which 
the following yachts were entered : Mercury, Cap- 
tain Astley ; Daphne, Captain Unwin ; Mermaid, 
Baron Hompeck ; Owner s Delight, Captain Lang- 
ston ; Eliza, Captain Hunter; Two Brotliers, Cap- 
tain Drinkald ; Olive Branch, Captain Dodd ; 
Amelia, Captain Cox. The cup was won by the 
Mercury. 

July, 1805, the silver cup and cover given by the 
proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens was sailed for by 
the following yachts : Caroline, Captain Wyne ; 
Daphne, Captain Unwin ; Bucephalus, Captain 
Gunston ; Mermaid, Baron Hompeck ;^^. George, 
Captain Gunston. " The ceremony commenced 
with a barge belonging to the Royal Exchange 
fire-office going down from Westminster to Black- 
friars Bridge at half-past five with a full band of 
music on board. Shortly after that two cutters 
belonging to the Messrs. Roberts, the boat builders, 
went the same route, the one having a band of 
music, and the other some of the principal persons 
concerned in the property and management of 
Vauxhall Gardens, the prize behind them supported 
by two servants in livery. At 1 7 minutes before 
six the boats set off with a light breeze nearly east, 
and the Daphne belonging to Mr. Unwin, formerly 
of the Fondroyant, took the lead almost at starting 
and was the first that shot Westminster Bridge. 
The whole fleet went up the river with the wind 
upon their quarter, and with flowing sail, until they 
came abreast of Mr. M. Coy, the shipbreaker's yard 
at Nine Elms. The St. George was the first that 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 227 

shot through Battersea Bridgfe, and at Wansworth 
the Daphne was ahead, but the Mermaid pressed 
so close upon her that the boom of the latter swung 
against the back-stays of the former. By a bold 
manceuver, such as naturally strikes the mind of a 
British sailor when he finds himself close pressed, 
the Daphne was then seen to bear away to leeward, 
in order to prevent herself from being becalmed. 
By this means she got into slack water, and as the 
tide was running down strongly she made greater 
headway and fell less to leeward than her competi- 
tor. On the next tack the advantage gained by 
this manceuver was evident, as the Daphne sailed 
free on a fresh tack while the others were close- 
hauled on the former. At half-past eight the 
Daphne came past Cumberland Gardens, which 
was full of genteel company, who had flocked there 
to see the spectacle, on account of the extent of 
the accommodation of these grounds. The Mer- 
maid came in about five minutes after, but the 
whole did not reach Vauxhall stairs until after nine 
o'clock. The river was so completely covered 
with boats that it reminded one of the descriptions 
given of the swarm of canoes that assembled upon 
Captain Cook making his appearance in New 
South Wales." 

July 21, 1806, " seven gentlemen's pleasure boats 
started for the annual Silver Cup and cover, the 
gift of the proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens. Three 
were as small as four tons each, three of seven 
tons each, and the Bellissima, belonging to Mr. 
Fairbrother, the sailmaker, was built to carry as 



228 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

much as seventeen tons. Mr. Fairbrother's skill 
as a sailmaker was demonstrated in the snug fit 
and judicious proportions of his sails ; he also 
stood well for the signal, and had all ready, and 
started directly as it was given ; this gave him the 
lead at the outset. The St. George, Captain Gun- 
ston, however was an excellent sailer, clean built 
and carried spanking sails, she also was steered 
with judgment and pressed very close upon Captain 
Fairbrother's quarter. The Amelia carried away 
her bowsprit below Westminster bridge and the 
others gave up before they had reached so far. 
The contest was then confined to so few competi- 
tors that many would have thought the attraction 
considerably lessened. The Duke of Manchester's 
cutter, however, and several other gentlemen's 
boats were out, and from the first to the last of the 
race the weather was so inviting and the craft so 
numerous that the Thames could be walked across 
at some places by stepping from boat to boat. 
Captain Fairbrother continued his superiority to 
the end and came in at half-past eight, and the St. 
George ten minutes later. All the most fashionable 
part of the company, which was very numerous, 
then finished the day's pleasure by going to 
Vauxhall Gardens." 

July 20, 1807, the contractors of the State Lot- 
tery gave a cup valued at ^50, which was sailed 
for by the following yachts : Mercury, Captain Ast- 
ley ; Olive Branch, Captain Deacon ; St. George, 
Captain Gunston ; Daphne, Captain Bowyer. They 
started from Blackfriars Bridge at 5 p m., and were 



The Kings Fisher. 1:776. 



er gentlei 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 229 

all in line till opposite Sumerset House. The 
Olive Branch then shot ahead, but the Mercury 
soon passed her and got through the centre arch 
of Westminster Bridge, and kept the lead to Nine 
Elms, winning by a boat's length and a half at 
Vauxhall Stairs ; when Captain Astley was pre- 
sented with the cup, being the fifth won by 
the Mercury. A vast assemblage of boats were 
on the river, and the shores were lined with 
spectators." 

July 27th, " The annual Silver Cup and cover 
given by the proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens was 
sailed for by the following gentlemen's pleasure 
boats : Mercury, 7 tons, Captain Astley ; Ata- 
lanta, 7 tons, Captain Smith ; Bellissima, 1 7 tons. 
Captain Fairbrother. The St. George was also 
entered, but withdrew. There was a stiff breeze 
from the southward, which occasioned the Bellis- 
sima being so much heavier than the others, to carry 
a great press of sail and enabled her to keep the 
lead the whole distance without the least chances 
of the others coming up. When opposite Wans- 
worth the Atalanta declined the contest, but the 
Mercury persevered to the end and came in fif- 
teen minutes after the Bellissima, which was the 
winning boat, and Captain Fairbrother was im- 
mediately taken into the Vauxhall cutter, and 
conducted to the Gardens by Mr. Barrett who 
presented him with a most elegant silver cup and 
cover valued at 30 Gns. amidst the shouts and 
plaudits of a vast concourse of spectators. The 
river displayed a scene of the utmost beauty and 



230 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

grandeur being covered with pleasure boats and 
wherries." 

In 1810 the last cup given by the proprietors of 
the Vauxhall Gardens was sailed for and won by 
the St. George. In this year the Ranelagh Gardens 
were opened, and the proprietors presented a cup, 
which was won by the Sally, Captain Hammond. 

July 16, 1812, the Cumberland Fleet gave two 
subscription cups, which were sailed for from 
Blackwall to Gravesend and return, and were won 




COMMODORE TAYLOR 



by the Mercury and the Vixen. Commodore 
Taylor retired from yachting about this time, 
although the exact date does not appear. 

From the foregoing records it will be seen that 



nven I- 



in this yk:a.i the Kaiiei- 




Cups Won by Commodore Taylor's Yachts King's 
Fisher and Cmnbcrland. 




THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 231 

the yachts that raced on the Thames from the 
years 1 775-181 2, ranged in tonnage from four to 
seventeen tons, and that time-allowance appears to 
have been unknown, or was disregarded. This con- 
tinued well into the nineteenth century, and, so far 
as is known, these yachts were all cutters or sloops. 

The Mercury may fairly be considered the an- 
cient champion of the Thames ; she won more 
matches than any other yacht of her time, and her 
owner, Captain Astley, appears to have been a 
thorough racing-yachtsman. 

We have now seen yachting established on the 
Thames, although the events recorded are but the 
faint prelude to those that were to follow. In 
after years, the lower reaches of the river were to 
witness many of the most exciting and closely- 
contested matches ever sailed between yachts. 

It should, however, be remembered that racing 
was but a small part of yachting in those days, and 
that two or three sailing-matches during the season 
were sufficient to afford zest to yachtsmen, and 
interest to the public. Commodore Taylor makes 
no mention of racing in his notes attached to the 
signals issued in 1779, and it is therefore reasonable 
to infer that cruising was the chief amusement of 
the members of the Cumberland Fleet, and that 
the Review of 1778, commemorated by Kitching- 
man, was only one of many. 

It is not difficult to imagine the delightful life of 
yachtsmen on the Thames at that period ; cruising 
with a few chosen friends aboard or perhaps in 
company with two or three yachts, getting under 



232 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

way in the cool, radiant dawn ; the clear, silvery 
river flowing peacefully among green fields and 
meadows, the repose and fullness of the sweet 
English landscape, and the stately domes and 
spires of London bathed in the limpid atmosphere. 
The yachts would perhaps anchor in some pictur- 
esque bend of the river, or drift home in the lin- 
gering summer twilight, or a freshening breeze and 
hastening tide would urge them onward. And 
while we have no record of these cruises, it is cer- 
tain that the river, in those days, possessed a charm 
all its own, — departed long ago, — a charm never 
to be known again. 

About the year 1800, Mr. Weld, — father of Mr. 
Joseph Weld, owner of the celebrated cutters 
Arrow, Lulwortk, and Alarm, — owned the cutter 
yacht Lulwortk Castle. Little is known of this 
yacht beyond the fact that she used to take her 
station at Weymouth whenever King George IIL 
and the royal family visited that watering place on 
board one of the royal yachts. 

In 1804 the yacht Royal Sovereign was built at 
Deptford, and the following account of her launch 
appeared in the Naval Chronicle: " After a quarter 
before three o'clock on Saturday, May the 12th, a 
new Yacht, built on purpose for his Majesty, was 
launched from the King's dock yard at Deptford. 
She is a very neat but small ship. In her present 
trim she draws about nine feet forward and ten 
abaft. She is completely copper bottomed, has 
above that a streak of yellow and then another of 
blue, ornamented with medallions, representing the 



.4io8i i£3Y 



I I P_.'Jl,t,l l\^\,X 



TING 



Tiong Y_ 

ineiss of t 

•-ely douics and 

i iiiv. .i.iipid atmosphere. 

Id oerhaps anchor in some pictu 

c bend river, or drift home in the li 

or a freshening breeze an 

.ung LIU';; .iL'Ui'' urge them onward. An 

--...... we have nf) rec-">rrl of the?''; crni.^'*3. it is cc 

tain thai 
all - 

Yi\%J£^-^zstyj,Yf.z\\.\.Royai,i.So'N,&feigri, Launched; \t,\^ 

!o<;eph Weld, o^^I^^^ '^^d- celebrated cuttei 
Lulworih, and Alarm, — owned the cutt- 
yacht Lulwortk Castle. Little is known of tlv 
yacht be— ■1 -- '-^ ■'■ -^ - ■ '•—' '- " ■'■- '^ 
ft;i*-ion ■ _, ■ ■ _ 

royal family visited that wate 
boa; the royal yacb 

1004 the yacht F 
iord, and thr- f.,11 
ared in the 

Vaciit, bui 

U,-..] from li.v, ;v.;.^^.3 v.>--,.v _,^vv. ..V 

.y neat but small ship. In hi. 
I draws about nin -orward ait 

She is completely cppper b' 
,.. , , — ,. ..I- -ijo-^v and th 

iallions. rep 









^ 






.0 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 233 

four Cardinal Virtues as female figures, in gilt 
frames. Over that there is a rich ornament of 
leaves entwined together, highly gilt. The figure 
head is a representation of her Majesty with the 
Imperial Crown upon her head. This is encom- 
passed by an iron railing, to prevent any injury. 
The stern is decorated with the figure of Neptune 
in his Car, with his Trident in his hand, the Sea 
underneath, and Dolphins playing around. Over 
the cabin windows and under the taffrail are placed 
the figures of Fame and Victory supporting the 
King's Arms. There are three elegant poop lan- 
therns and figures of the Four Quarters of the 
World over all. The accommodation ladder and 
the different gratings are painted yellow, with very 
rich mouldings of carved work highly gilt. Upon 
the whole, as the sailors term it, there is an abun- 
dance of gingerbread work. The apartments laid 
out for the Royal Family, as might be expected, 
are most sumptuous. The wood work is chiefly 
mahogany or cedar, with satin curtains, velvet 
seats, &c. The whole reflects the highest credit 
on the taste of Sir J. Henslow, the designer, and 
Mr. Tipper, the master shipwright. When she 
was launched, she was christened in the usual man- 
ner, and received the name of The Royal Sovereign. 
It is said, that Sir H. B. Neale is to have the com- 
mand of her, and that she is to be sent round Wey- 
mouth with all possible expedition, for the purpose 
of conveying his Majesty in the aquatic excursions 
which he usually makes at this season of the year. 
Mr. E. Bate is appointed Purser." 



234 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

A portrait of this yacht, engraved by Henry 
Moses in 1827, is here reproduced, and represents 
her leaving Portsmouth harbor under full sail. The 
Royal Sovereign proved a very fast vessel, and 
Knowles in his Naval Architecture, published in 
1822, gives the lines of this yacht, which are here 
reproduced, and refers to her as follows : " The 
Royal Sovereign, launched for the particular service 
of his Majesty in the year 1804 ; a ship whose ex- 
terior and interior are of incomparable beauty ; 
but, whose ornaments, splendid as they are, will 
scarcely be considered by the artist as more than 
adequate to the beauties of her form, and her 
qualities as an excellent sailer and a good sea boat ; 
in which respects she has been found superior to all 
her predecessors, and the most perfect vessel of 
her class ever constructed. Upon one fine morn- 
ing, when his Majesty was on board, in the summer 
of 1804, The Royal Sovereign quitted Weymouth 
Roads, and proceeded on a cruise, accompanied by 
the Royal Charlotte, yacht (built in the year 1 749), 
th.& Prificess Augusta, yacht (built in the year 1710), 
and a frigate. The new yacht excelled her compan- 
ions so much, in point of sailing, as to drop anchor 
in the Roads, upon her return, at six in the evening ; 
while the Royal Charlotte did not arrive until ten 
o'clock at night, the frigate until midnight, and the 
Princess Augusta until six the next morning; an 
unquestionable proof of the very great superiority 
of The Royal Sovereign ; of a superiority which 
gives her the eminent distinction of being beyond 
controversy, the best sailer of the British Navy." 



>dT 



:'avca '. 

...... ii.j .u, and 1-,. 

Virtsmouth harbor under full sail, T 
d a very fast 

fers to her as fo> 
67^, launched for the particular jl 
s Majesty in t' 1804; ^ sh 



T|ie lioyal, Svvereign,, 



>ads, upon 



,111(1 !;■_ ^':in;:, 



.- the ^ 



THE HISTOR Y OF YA CHTING 235 

The dimensions of The Royal Sovereign were, 
length on deck, 96 feet i inch ; keel, 80 feet 9 
inches ; breadth, 25 feet 7 inches ; depth of hold, 
10 feet 3 inches, 280^ tons. 

In 1806 an effort was made to revive the Water 
Club of Cork, and a meeting was called consisting 
of the Marquis of Thomond, Lord Kinsale, the 
Fitzgeralds, the Penroses, the Newenhams, the 
Drurys, and others, who styled themselves " Original 
members." There is, however, no reason to sup- 
pose that the club was reorganized in its ancient 
splendor, but with a view to the more useful pur- 
pose of exciting competition among the fishing and 
rowing boats in the cove of Cork, to which they 
gave annual prizes. 

A gallant, but somewhat extraordinary entry, 
appears about this time on the books of the club, 
viz., " That the wives and daughters of the mem- 
bers of the club, be also considered members of 
the club, and entitled to wear their uniform." 

This resolution is dated July 9, 1807; and was 
passed in compliment to the great interest in the 
proceedings of the club exhibited by the ladies in 
question, who, it is added, fully acknowledged the 
courtesy, by appearing at the club dinners in nautical 
costume. 

In 1807 Robert Steele & Co., of Greenock, 
built two "customs," or "excise," yachts, the 
Princess of Wales, length, 45 feet 8 inches ; 
breadth, 16 feet 10 inches ; depth, 8 feet 3 inches ; 
and the Maria built from the same moulds but one 
foot longer. These yachts were both cutters. 



2 36 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

Toward the end of the eighteenth century Wil- 
liam Fife, a wheelwright of Kilbirnie, removed 
with his family to the pretty village of Fairlie on 
the Clyde. He had a son, also named William, 
who was attracted by the waters of the beautiful 
bay, and longed to navigate them. Having no 
boat, he set to work and built one. So well did he 
succeed, that she soon found a new owner ; and 
when purchasers appeared for several more boats 
he constructed, he came to the conclusion that 
boat-building was his proper vocation. About the 
year 1807 he built a small yacht of 25 feet in 
length, called the Comet, and in 181 2 the cutter 
yacht, Lamlash, 51 tons, owned by Mr. Hamilton 
of Holmhead and Captain Oswald of Scotstown. 

" Ould Wull " — as William Fife was affection- 
ately called when the years rolled on — built some 
of the best yachts of their day. And his son 
and grandson, who bear his name, have perpetuated 
his memory in many of the swiftest and most 
beautiful yachts built in the United Kingdom. 




In 1807 the cutter yacht Leopard was built by 
Lynn Ratsey of Cowes, but her owner is not 



777^ HISTORY OF YACHTING 237 

known. Mr. Michael Ratsey, grandson of her 
builder, says in a letter received some years ago, 
" I have no account of the Leopard cutter beyond 
the knowledge that she was built for a yacht, 
but for whom there is not the slightest reference." 
The lines of this yacht are given on page 236 ; 
and her dimensions were, length on deck, 64 feet 
4 inches ; length of keel, 54 feet 3 inches ; beam, 
19 feet ; depth, 11 feet; draft, 10 feet. 

In 181 3 Thomas White, a native of Broadstairs, 
established a yacht and shipbuilding-yard at 
Cowes, wherein, as well as in the Ratsey yard, 
some of the most famous yachts of their day in 
England were built. 

The Isle of Wight has always been a favorite 
resort. Indeed, it was occupied by the Romans, 
the interesting remains of a Roman villa having 
been discovered near Brading some years ago. 
The ornaments and household utensils found there 
indicate not only refinement and luxury, but also 
that those to whom they belonged dwelt on the 
island from choice rather than necessity. By 
the Romans the island was called Vecta, or Vectis, 
and in the Doomsday Book is called Wed, With. 
The ancient name for Cowes were Cowe, Cows, and 
Cow; while the Solent was known as the Solent 
Sea, from the Latin Solvetido, indicating a sepa- 
ration from the main land. 

Soon after the Norman conquest King William 
assigned the island to a relative, William Fitzos- 
borne, who had distinguished himself at the battle 
of Hastings, " to hold as freely as the Conqueror 



238 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

held the realm of England." After a time the 
island became the private property of the Kings 
of England, who granted it to their favorites with 
royal capriciousness. One of the lords, the Duke 
of Warwick, actually had himself crowned as King 
of the island, until King Henry VII. resumed 
the jurisdiction of the Isle of Wight. Since then 
it has remained a part of the dominion of the 
Crown. 

In 1540 two forts, or castles, were built on the 
Eylle of Wyght, as it was then called, one on each 
side of the entrance to the river Medina, for the 
defense of the port of Cowe. The eastern one 
long ago disappeared ; hence, a map published 
in 1 6 10 makes no reference to it. But the west 
castle still stands, having also been extensively 
renovated and improved — the present home of the 
Royal Yacht Squadron. 

In 1588 Queen Elizabeth caused a "pleasure 
ship " to be built at Cowes. This craft was called 
the Rat of Wight. She was 80 tons burden, and car- 
ried a crew of seventy men, under the command of 
Gilbert Lea. She was also one of the volunteer 
fleet of Lord Charles Howard, which defeated the 
Spanish Armada, and was preserved for many 
years at Chatham, " the same plate being in use on 
board of her to a very late date." 

In the middle and latter part of the eighteenth 
century the dockyard at Cowes turned out many 
excellent ships of war ; the Astrea, 34 guns ; Salis- 
bury, 50 ; Repulse, 64 ; Veteran, 64 ; and Van- 
guard, 74 ; besides a large number of smaller ves- 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 239 

sels. From its situation, in the old days of sailing 
ships, it became a port of call, " Cowes and a 
market " being a familiar expression in bills of 
lading and charter parties. 

At the beginning of the nineteenth century 
Cowes became a resort for yachtsmen, and 
in 1809 Sir William Curtis, owner of the cutter 
yacht Rebecca Maria, 76 tons, and one of the 
original members of The Yacht Club, asked per- 
mission to join the squadron of his Majesty's 
fleet, to which Mr. Percival, then Chancellor of the 
Exchequer, replied that as a friend he did not like 
to refuse Sir William's request, but in his official 
capacity he could not write to the Admiralty upon 
this subject unless Sir William would agree to put 
his yacht under their orders. This condition was 
at once accepted. 

For some years prior to the establishment of The 
Yacht Club, yachtsmen were in the habit of dining 
together at Cowes, and amusing themselves in 
various ways. It is recorded that in July, 1800, a 
rowing-match took place from the gunboat in 
Cowes roads round the white buoy on the Bram- 
bles and back, for a purse of 30 guineas, the Foun- 
tain against the Vine, won by the latter. On the 
following day they rowed again, the Fountain 
being manned by four tailors and the Viite by four 
shoemakers. The Vine again proved successful. 
A running-match also took place from Castle Hill 
to Egypt Gate, between a lame shoemaker and a 
lame tailor, each carrying a crutch. The match 
was won by the tailor. 



240 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

The exact year in which The Yacht Club was 
founded is uncertain. Its seal bears the date of 
1812, but the first recorded meeting of the club 
was held at the Thatched House Tavern, St. 
James's Street, London, on June i, 1815. The 
following noblemen and gentlemen were present, 
or were represented : 

Earl of Uxbridge, afterward ist Marquis of An- 
glesey, Cutter Liberty, 42 tons ; Viscount Ash- 
brook ; Charles Aylmer, Cutter Maria Ann, 34 
tons; William Baring, Cutter Sylph, 52 tons; Earl 
of Belmore, Brig Osprey, 224 tons ; B. P. Black- 
ford, Sybil; Marquis of Buckingham, Schooner Fly, 
^2, tons ; Captain Frederick Buckeley, Cutter Phae- 
dria, 18 tons; Lord Cowdor ; S. Challen, Yawl 
Eliza, 44 tons ; Viscount Deerhurst, afterward 
Earl of Coventry, Schooner Mary, 75 tons ; Earl 
of Craven, Ship Louisa, 325 tons ; Sir William 
Curtis, Bart., Cutter Rebecca Maria, 76 tons ; 
Right Honorable Lord Grantham, afterward Earl 
De Gray, Cutter Mermaid, 21 tons; J. N. Faza- 
kerley. Cutter Cygnet, 57 tons ; John Fitzgerald, 
Cutter A talanta, 1 16 tons ; Charles Grant ; Thomas 
Hallifax, Cutter Alfred, 46 tons ; Honorable 
William Hare, Cutter Adelaide ; H. A. Herbert, 
Cutter Coquette, 18 tons; Sir J. C. Hippersley, 
Bart, Cutter Policy, 25 tons; Viscount Kirkwell, 
Cutter Lively, 30 tons ; Thomas Lewin, Cutter 
Halcyon, 42 tons ; John Lindegren, Cutter Dove, 
55 tons ; Lloyd of Marie ; Viscount Fitzharris, af- 
terward Earl of Malmesbury, Cutter Medina, 70 
tons ; Rev. C. A. North, Cutter Lord Nelson, 75 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 241 

tons; Lord Nugent, Schooner Flying Fish, 74 
tons; Honorable C. A. Pelham, afterward ist 
Earl of Yarborough, Brig Falcon, 150 tons ; Lord 
Ponsonby, Schooner Fanny, 2 1 tons ; Sir R. Pule- 
ston, Bart.; Cutter Kingfisher, 20 tons; Harry 
Scott ; T. Assheton Smith, Cutter Elizabeth, 66 
tons ; Sir G. Thomas, Bart., Yawl Elizabeth, 19 
tons ; Marquis of Thomond, Schooner Rostellan, 
60 tons ; Sir Godfrey Webster, Bart. ; Joseph Weld, 
Cutter Charlotte, 60 tons ; James Weld, Cutter 
Pylewell, 26 tons ; Owen Williams, Cutter Blue 
Eyed Maid, 39 tons. 

Lord Grantham presided at this meeting. It 
was decided that in future the qualification to be- 
come a member should be the ownership of a yacht 
not under 10 tons, and an entrance fee of ;^2.2. 
The distinguishing flags adopted by the Club were 
a white ensign with the Union Jack in the cornel*, 
and a plain white burgee at the mast head. 

The formation of The Yacht Club marked a new 
era in yachting history, for until then the word 
"yacht" had never been used in connection with a 
club or its vessels. Probably no club has ever been 
founded with a more distinguished membership, 
and certainly no club has kept to its traditions 
more faithfully. 

Some years elapsed, after The Yacht Club was 
established, before racing or its annual regatta be- 
came features of yachting at Cowes. The yachts 
composing its fleet were fine sea-going vessels, 
built, rigged, and manned in imitation of vessels of 
a similar class in the Royal Navy, and were often 



242 THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 

commanded by Naval officers on leave of absence. 
Speed was regarded as of less importance than 
good seamanship at the reviews of the fleet, which 
were occasionally held in the Solent, or, keeping the 
decks, guns, spars, and rigging in shipshape and 
man-of-war fashion. These yachts were the float- 
ing summer homes of their owners, who were fre- 
quently accompanied by their families, while the 
pleasant life on board was conducted with the 
decorum, refinement, and comfort of an English 
home. 

In 1820 the name of the Club was changed to 
the Royal Yacht Club, and in 182 1 the colors 
were changed to a red ensign with the letters 
R. Y. C. and a crown and foul anchor, also a red 
burgee. In 1826 the subscription was increased 
to _5^8, with an entrance fee of ;^io. The tonnage 
limit was also increased to 30 tons. 

In 1829 the Lords of the Admiralty issued war- 
rants for yachts of the Royal Yacht Club to carry 
the St. George's ensign, a white burgee with a red 
cross and yellow crown in the centre, was accord- 
ingly adopted, and these are still the colors of the 
Club. In 1833 the name was again changed to 
the Royal Yacht Squadron. 

It is a singular fact, that for the first ten years of 
its existence, the Club had no flag of^cers, and it 
was not until 1825 that Lord Yarborough became 
the first Commodore, and so continued until his 
death in 1846. 

The first Club house was at West Cowes, now 
the Gloster Hotel. In 1801 an engraving of 



■■-39$- 



r"-'-'Bai£P9^^'p''^^'r.«:-^-,-£Tk, . ^.V.'' -'v-ii*^; 



. T Oc' 



ai Oiiicers on leave of absence 

, iued as of le - : — ...-....-- >■'- ■ 

,. at the review 

' held in the Solent, or, kc 

lape ani. 

■amnion. .nts wcr^ the float 

.:.. homes ■. c. vners, who were fre- 

accompanied by their families, while the 

pleasant is conducted with the 

decorum ' ' '"' '' ' 

: -hano-ed t^ 

■ fc6v/fes'eastle. iSoi."^" *"'' 
.Lud a crown and !un; aachor, al^o a rej 

^ - In 1826 the subs-riDtion was incrensr ' 

; o £?:., with an entrance The ton 

Hsiiii oincre:-. 



rorpe with a re- 



i, and 



;ular fa' 

lub ha(: 
■ ic>z';^ chat 'Loia larooi^ 
inrAodorr-. ntid •■.:■> rr.ntin. 



iiosler 



THE HISTORY OF YACHTING 243 

Cowes Castle was published by Sparrow. It is 
here reproduced. Still the Castle did not really 
become the headquarters of the Squadron until 
1858 ; after about ;i^6ooo had been expended upon 
it in repairs and improvements. And now with its 
elegance, simplicity, refinement, and priceless ar- 
chives, with its superb outlook across the silvery 
waters of the Solent,— Calshot Castle, Southamp- 
ton Water, and Spithead reposing in the distance, 
. — it stands amid venerable trees, hedge-rows, lawns, 
and smiling fllowers, unique among the Yacht Clubs 
of the world. 

I have endeavored to trace the origin and first 
era of the development of yachts and yachting 
from the year 1600 until the establishment of Yacht 
Club, in 181 5, and have thus brought this his- 
tory within the majestic portal of the nineteenth 
century, with its steadfast endeavor and brilliant 
achievement in all branches of knowledge, while 
yachts and yachting have also steadily advanced 
with scientific discovery and the accumulation of 
wealth. 



INDEX 



Actium, battle of, 2 
Advance, sloop, 152 
Amsterdam, centre of commerce 

in Europe, 8 
Amsterdam yachts enact sham 

battle in honor of Peter the 

Great, 20-22 
Anne, yacht built for the Duke 

of York by Christopher Pett, 

64, 105, 189 
Argus, brig, 157 
Arlington, Lord, no 
Ashbumham, John, 98 
Athelstane, galley presented to, 

by King of Norway, 2 
Atlantic, ship, 140 
Aurora, yacht, 198 

B 

Balsa, 139 

Balza, description, 27-29 

Batten, Sir William, 94-95 

Betsy Cairns {Princess Mary), 
1 1 9-1 2 1 

Besano, yacht, cost of decora- 
tion, 74 

Bezan and Jamie try for 
mastery, 76 

Bezan, yacht presented to King 
Charles by the Dutch, 66, 97 

Blake, Admiral, hoists first 
coach-whip pennant, 49 

Block, Adriaen, 36-37 

Boit, Captain John, 144-145 

Bolton, yacht, 162 

Boston Light, 136 

Bristol Sailing Society, 223-224 

Brouncker, Lord, 82, 98 

Burgis, William, 136 

Burgomaster of Amsterdam, 
yacht, 15 

Busy, cutter, 169 



Cleopatra's galley at battle of 

Actium, 2 
Cleopatra's barge, 3—4 
Centaur, galley race, 5 
Chimtera, galley race, 5 
Comet, 17 
Catherine, Czarina of Russia, 

23 

Concord, yacht, 29 

Charles II., called from Holland 
to ascend the throne of Eng- 
land, 50; sails from near 
Breda for Delft on board 
yacht owned by the Prince of 
Orange ; description of the 
fleet of yachts accompanying 
him and their passage; a 
yacht is presented to him, 5 1— 

54 

Catherine, yacht built for King 
Charles by Commissioner Pe- 
ter Pett, 64 

Catherine, Mary, and Anne, com- 
pared, 64 

Charlotte, yacht, 94 

Charles, yacht, 75, 105, 106 

Castle, William, 98-99 

Cleveland, yacht, 105 

Chariot, yacht, 106 

Coquette {William, and Mary), 
122 

Caermarthen, 124-126 

Carter's Brand, 127 

Columbia, ship, 142 

Crowninshield, Captain George, 
146 

Centre-board, 147-152 

Constitution, frigate, 154-156 

Chaleur, schooner, 168 

Catherine, yacht, 172 

Cork Harbor Water Club, 172, 
188 

Cumberland Fleet, The, 198 



245 



246 



INDEX 



Chatham, yacht, 192 
Cumberland, Dtike of, 197 
Cumberland, yacht, 200, 220 
Caroline, yacht, 202 
Cynthia, sloop of war, 204 
Columbus, yacht, 205 
Constant Warwick, frigate built 
in 1646, 48 

D 

Dolphin, galley race, 5 

Drake, Admiral, fails to capture 
Spanish fleet, 10 

Dutch yachts, description of 
early, 15-19 

Damlooper, 24 

Disdain, pleasure ship, 44-46 

Dover, 1641, 58-59 

Deane, Sir Anthony, first calcu- 
lates a vessel's displacement 
before launching, 69-70, 95, 

103-ioS 
Dreadnought, ship, 91, 216 
Deal, yacht, 105, 106 
Dunblane, Lord, no 
Danby, Earl of, 124, 126 
Dean, Captain Stewart, 142 
David Porter, schooner, 153 
Dolphin, schooner, 153 
Dorset, yacht, 194 
Dogget's coat and badge, 171 

E 

Elizabeth, Queen, 10 
Enierprize, sloop, 142 
Experiment, double - bottomed 

ship, 77-79 
Eddystone Lighthouse, 129, 130 
Evelyri, John, 57, 58 
Experiment, sloop, 146 
Eagle, yacht, 202 
East India Company (English), 

142, 206-216 

F 

Fortescue, Thomas, 93 

Fanfan, ship, 95-96 

Folly, yacht, 97 

Flamsteed, John, 98 

Fubbs, yacht, 106, 113-115, 172, 

189 
Fox, George, 108 



Fancy, yacht, 136, 137 
Ferrers, Earl, 195, 196 
Fife, William, 235 



Galleys, Roman, Venetian, 
Norse, Spanish, and Portu- 
guese, 5-6 

Galley races, 5-6 

Galleons of Portugal and Spain, 

^ 5 

Genoa influences Spain and 

Portugal, 13 
Golden Lion, 1 7 
Greenwich Observatory, 98 
Griffiere, John, 103 
Good Expectation, hrig, 167 

H 

Hardicanute, galley presented 
to. Earl Godwin, 2 

Holland, where yachts origi- 
nated, 8 

Holland, Spanish influences, 12 

Hein, Admiral Pieter, 9 

Hawkins, Admiral, 10 

Hollanders, a wealthy and re- 
fined people, 13 

Hope, yacht, 29 

Hudson, Henry, 32-35 

Halve Mcene, or Half Moon, 
yacht, 32-35 

Hope, yacht, 40 

Haen, yacht, 41 

Howard, Admiral, 44-46 

Henrietta, yacht, 91-94, 99, 105- 
107 

Harwich, yacht, 91 

Hicks, William, 93 

Harwich, ship, 104 

Hazard, sloop, 138 

Helvetia, ship, 141 

Harriet, ship, 141 

Hallet, Captain, 141 

Ham.ilton, revenue cutter, 166 

Hawke, yacht, 200 

Haw-Ting, flower-boats of the 
Chinese, 5 



I 



Isis, built by Ptolemy Philop- 
ator, 2 



INDEX 



247 



Isle of Wight, yacht, 105 
Isabella Bezan, yacht, 106 
Isabella, yacht, 106 
Industry, yacht, 108 
Isle of Wight, 237-239 

J 

Jamie, yacht, 75-76 

Jones, Inigo, 98 

Jolson, Captain JoUe, 127 

Jefferson, yacht, 146-147 

James and Elizabeth, smack, 123 

K 

King's Chamber, royal vessel of 

King Henry V., 2 
King Charles II., ?, 62, 63, 66, 

68, 70, 71 
Katherine, yacht, 105-107 
King Charles anecdotes, 1 1 o- 

Kendrick, Captain John, 142, 

144 
King's Fisher, yacht, 200 



Lee-board, 26 

La Garse, yacht, 41 

Lead for ballast, 1661, 63 

London, Great Fire, 1666, 102 

hennox, yacht, 103 

Lady Temple, 107 

Leeds, Duke of, 124 

Little Grandsire, yacht, 129 

Lady Washington, sloop, 142- 

144 
La Gloire, lugger, 168 
Lively, yacht, 202 
Lady Nelson, brig, 204 
Lulworth Castle, yacht, 232 
Leopard, yacht, 236—237 
London, ship, 99 

M 

Maurice of Nassau, yacht, 1 5 
Merry Messenger, yacht, 29 
Mayflower, Pilgrim ship, 37 
Mary, yacht, 59, 61, 105, 109, 
189, 192 



Milled lead sheathing, 91 
Monmouth, yacht, 98, 99 
Merlin, yacht, 99, 100, 107 
McKenzie, Dr. Sheldon, 1 20 
Mitchell, Admiral Sir David, 1 28 
Morris, Colonel Lewis, 136-137 
Montesquieu, ship, 141 
Maria, excise cutter, 235 

N 

Norse galleys, 6 

New Netherland colonized, 38 

New Netherland, ship, 38 

Navy, yacht, 105 

Northumberland, Duke of, 138 

Nimble, cutter, 167 

Navy of Great Britain, 216-218 

O 

Overserved with drink, 57 



Ptirple sails, i, 2 

Phihp II., of Spain, 8 

Peter the Great, 20-22, 124, 129 

Prescott, Conquest of Peru, 27 

Pizarro commands expedition, 

27 
Pleasure ship built for Pnnce 

Henry, 1604, 44, 46 
Prince Henry, 44, 46 
Pett, Phineas, 44, 46, 47, 105 
Pepys, Samuel, Clerk of the 

Acts, 56, 61, 62 
Pett, Peter, 62-66, 76 
Pett, members of family hold 

dockyard positions from reign 

of Edward VI., 69 
Petty, Sir WiUiam, inventor of 

catamaran, etc., 77, 79 
Phcenix, ship, gi 
Pett, Christopher, gi, 100 
Princess Mary, yacht, 116, 122 
Preston, Viscount, 123 
Princess Augusta, ship, yacht, 

162, 163 
Prince George of Wales, 163 
Plymouth, yacht, 194 
Princess of Wales, excise cutter, 

23s 
Prins Wtllem, yacht, 40 



248 



INDEX 



Portugal influenced by Venice 

and Genoa, 13 
Portsmouth, yacht, 106, 192 

Q 

Queen Catherine, 104 
Queensborough, yacht, 105, 107 

R 

Roman galley, 5 

Royal Yacht Squadron, 6 

Republic of the United Nether- 
lands, 8 

Rod, marine artist, 15 

Royal Prince, 17; ship built, 
1610, 47 

Ruiz, Bartholomew, 27 

Restless, or Onrust, yacht, 37, 38 

Rupert, ship built by Sir An- 
thony Deane, first vessel 
whose displacement was cal- 
culated correctly before 
launching, 69-70. Sir An- 
thony Deane, see pp. 95, 103- 

105 
Royal Society, founded, 1660, 

79 
Rujrter, Admiral, 95 
Royal Charles, 17; ship, 95-96, 

99 
Rupert, Pnnce, 95 
Richmond, Duke of, 103 
Richmond, yacht, 105, 106 
Robinson, C. Newton, 109 
Royal Catherine, ship, 113 
Robinson, Andrew, 131 
Rousseau, ship, 141 
Royal Sovereign, yacht, 232, 235 
Ratsey, Lynn, 236 
Ratsey, Michael, 237 



Shish, Jonas, 99-100 
Shuldham, Molyneux, 147, 148 
Spanish influence in Holland, 

France, and England, 12 
Spain influenced by Venice and 

Genoa, 13 
Sea Mew, yacht, 30 
St. Beninjo, yacht, 41 
Sparrowhawk, Pilgrim vessel, 

discovered, 1863, 42 



Shipwrights Company, incor- 
porated, 1 61 2, 47 
Sovereign of the Seas, ship built, 

1637, 47 
Shot for ballast, i66i, 63 
Slingsby, Sir R. , makes up a 

party to see the fovir royal 

yachts, 67 
Squadron of yachts, first record, 

in England, 67 
SaiHng match in the United 

Kingdom, first open, 1663, 80, 

88 
Seven Provinces, ship, 96 
Solalis, yacht, 104 
Superbe, ship, 104 
Sandwich, ship, 109 
St. Peter, yacht, 127 
Smeaton, 129 
Schooner, bmlt at Gloucester, 

1712, 131, 136 
Schank, John, Capt. R. N., 13S, 

139 
Sailing match on Thames first 

open, 136; 220, 231 
Shackford, Josiah, 142 
Swain, Jacocks, Henry, Joshua, 

148, 152 
Sturgis, Captain Joshua, 166 
Swift, cutter, 167, 168 
Shutleworth, Mr., 202 
Steele & Co., Robert, 235 
Spragge, Admiral, 17- 
St. George, 17 
Schey, Gillis, 20 
Sloop, origin, description, 24 



Thalamegus, built by Ptolemy 

Philopator, 2 
The Yacht Club (Royal Yacht 

Squadron), 6, 240, 243 
Tromp, Admiral Martin, 10, 

.49 

Tiger, destroyed at New Nether- 
land, 36 

Trades Increase, ship built, 1609, 

46, 47 
Tower, smack, 105 
Temple, Lady, 107 
Taylor, Commodore Thomas, 
199 
I Tyars, Jonathan, 219 



